My DMP Journey...

Brogden

Monkeyballs wrote: »

Well, just been for an ATOS assessment... I had thought it was PIP but nope, it's ESA which threw me as I've been getting it since July but hey ho.

I arrived on time (actually 10 mins early as per the letter I got).

I was told there was a delay... No eta, but I was told that if I was in a lot of pain (which I was) I could reschedule but I decided to wait and after 20 minutes I was seen!

During the 20 minute wait, I had the misfortune of being spoken to by a horrible man who insisted on shouting about his annoyance about being told to wait as his program was starting soon and that they didn't even have the decency to put someone who could speak English* on reception his partner/wife(?) conversely was lovely

*I actually rather liked the "non English speaking person" as she was a very attractive Polish blonde called Agata... I may be broken but I ain't dead LOL

Bit of a drama as I could barely stand upright and while I was offered a row of chairs to lay down on that was a total non starter

The assessment lasted for about 30 minutes and the assessor was lovely, she was sympathetic (or seemed to be) and apologetic - being overworked isn't her fault. During this time she observed me moving and stretching... I did nearly fall over when I tried to lift and bend my leg though LOL

I'm just soooooo glad it's over! If I could do anything differently I'd have not been in pain, red faced and grimacing and a whole lot slicker as I asked Agata her name for some reason today is the worst for quite a long time

MB

A good day all in all MB !!

Well done mate. I dunno about you but I'm a bit 'Bono'd-out!!:) ' I'm going to ignore him again like I have for a lot of years.........(confession).....I one danced to 'New Years Day' by U2 when intoxicated and very young....is that their only good song?

Mara_uk7

Ahem ? Agata ? Im not a jealous type, normally, but when you might be coming into money ..... :P

Monkeyballs

Tuesday 02/12/14;

It's December!!! It was yesterday too but I didn't have much to say yesterday LOL

That said, don't go thinking I do today either but it's been a few days and thought I should at least drop by to say hi

So... Recent events have seen me able to ditch £305 of debt just by dropping a complaint to the FOS I think I can see why actually, if the FOS believed I had a case and got involved then it would have cost the Money Shop at least £195 (as apparently the charge levied by the FOS to a creditor is £500 but I'm not 100% sure if this is true?) so potentially they'd be waaaay down when all combined

Moving on, I have also looked into why I might have had an ESA review as I thought on contributions based ESA I just sort of plodded along for a year before moving to income based? Apparently not! If I get a "positive" review and they agree I should be getting ESA then I go from £72.40 per week paid every other week to £101.15 per week paid every other week!!! Hurrah!!!

Oddly enough, that's more than I hoped I would be able to get from a PIP claim and will allow me to actually do things (I.e. travel) so I'm pleased with that but a little less pleased since it would have been handy in the last three months but hey ho...

So... How about today? What does today bring the Monkey? Ummm... Not much LOL, Mum has a new oven being delivered which I have to wait in for as she is going out with my Sister and that is about it! Not that I usually have exciting days normally (ha ha ha haaaa) but the thought of possibly not getting out at all means I have to spend some time going up and down stairs and marching back and forth across the living room to get my exercise Joy...

Oh, and Mara sweetie... Agata may well look a bit like a young Claudia Schiffer but you'll always have my Haribo ring xxx

MB

Mara_uk7

Isnt it strange, You may not be planning to go out, not even really want to go out, but knowing you cant go, makes you feel like a prisoner !

I really cant believe its December, November seems to have vanished in the blink of an eye, So much for getting things done and being organised for that festival thing we have in December every year ! Why dont they move Christmas to January ? Its a long boring month and the shops would be much quieter !

Ditching that £305 must be a fantastic feeling, Every little helps huh ? I have found the FOS a bit of a nightmare to deal with & get straight answers, You must be a silver tongued charmer !

Fingers crossed for a positive review and some extra pennies to work with, You will need it now youre a married man with a wifie with expensive tastes ... by the way, I need another Haribo ring please, Was forced to eat mine during a suger deprivation while I was stuck waiting for a ferry ! xx

Monkeyballs

Hi Mara, gotcha one more ring on it's way You're also right about knowing you can't go out making you feel like a prisoner LOL no idea why? I'd make a rubbish 'real' prisoner as I'd be trying to escape all the time and keep getting locked up in solitary like Steve McQueen in the Great Escape

Wednesday 03/12/14;

I've spoken to the council again re. Mums rent and Council tax... Nice people but talk about banging my head against a wall! I get the distinct impression that they're trying to tell me what to do to find 'loop holes' so I don't lose out if that makes sense? So...

I can't be added to the tenancy agreement but I can be noted as residing here. This means that after 12 months of living here this becomes my main residence and they have a duty to rehouse me if anything happens to Mum although if anything happens in the next 12 months (or 11 months now) they can and will make me homeless - or to use their words, remove my access to this house. As it is a 3 bed house I have no claim to it and it is more than I need (I have no problem with this, I never expected to be) - fine.

I need to re-register for social housing AGAIN as I can't be on the list if I don't have a home (which I didn't for about a year as I was crashing wherever I could find room) which has to be the MOST RIDICULOUS thing ever, who needs a home more than a homeless person? So I was on the list for about 5 years or so, then I had to come off, then I reapplied just before I moved to Mums when I was told I couldn't register while living at Mums (which is a council property) but today I was told I have to apply again and keep registering interest but despite my back I get no priority as I'm living at Mums but if anything happens to Mum the I become a priority... My head hurts just typing this, why not just list me as a tenant here and just move me in future if anything happens? *Groan*

Council tax - Mum loses her single person discount as I have moved in (obviously) but she will still get her original reductions due to her age, etc. BUT the same person then went on to tell me that my moving would mean that the full CT becomes payable??? Contradiction much??? I even pointed this out but the woman (nice but dim) told me that I would have my own account which would mean full CT and I'd get no single person reduction due to Mum??? I'm just going to wait for the revised bill to arrive LOL

How do people who have been on benefits their whole life manage? It's exhausting!!! Plus the timescales for anything to happen are crazy...

I just want to get well, go back to work and put this whole thing behind me!

MB x

Monkeyballs

Friday 05/12/14;

I have a sort of crazy plan... I'm hoping someone can either rip this to pieces for me, point out pitfalls or agree that it's not stoopid

Bear in mind that all of this relies on the best case scenario for me, I.e. being able to return to work etc.

1. Repay debts, one way or another I believe I can clear my debts by the end of 2015 either by paying minimums and saving for F&F's or just throwing everything I have spare at my debts (bear in mind I'm paying very little out at the moment and Mum has basically said get rid of your debts and pay towards fuel and food and she'll take care of the rest (bless her).

2. I live in York which is expensive, but I live near Hull which is cheap (actually, a lot cheaper). I accept I'm unlikely going to be able to afford a house/flat in York but I can in Hull (a nicer part of Hull, I know which bits to avoid).

3. My take home is @ £1600 pcm. If I save £700 pcm for 3 years (36 mth) I can save @ £25k which will just about buy a small house/moderate size flat in Hull, the other £900 would be split between living expenses, pension and additional savings - basically I would be comfortable...

4. Rent the house/flat in Hull out through an agency which will cover their fees and also provide a small income which could be saved.

5. In the meantime, I continue to save what I can while continuing to live in York safe in the knowledge that in the worst case scenario I have a house and am not in any danger of being homeless...

Now, I know it's not exactly inspirational but my biggest concern right now is finding myself homeless or limited to renting a room in a shared house when I get older and having enough to live off, this plan ensure me of that right?

Now obviously if my circumstances change for the better then I can broaden my scope but this seems like a sensible precaution, does anyone else agree?

Edit: Obviously I could also save for longer and get somewhere better but I'm taking into consideration that my back could go again, I could lose my job, property in Hull could go up hence 3 years being a reasonable/short enough time to plan for

MB

AleMrsT

Hi monkeyballs. Speaking from the point of view of a letting agent, don't go into buying a property to rent out as an 'easy money' investment. Owning a rental property means you have to take a lot into consideration.
An agent can only do so much for you, you need to make sure you have adequate funds for necessary repairs, and a back up fund of mortgage payments in case tenants don't pay the rent. In an ideal world, mortgage cost £400, rental income £500, leaves £100 surplus, £50 of which goes to agent in fees, leaving £50 spare. It doesn't always work like that, and months like that will be the exception, not the rule.
You have to consider: tax implications, landlord obligations such as gas safety etc, and the higher cost of buy to let mortgages. Also, if your back did 'go' again, the property would be considered an asset in terms of any benefits etc.
Sorry for the metaphorical spanner, but wanted to give you an insight into the realities of landlord life before you take the plunge. Happy to answer any questions you have, but if you have a good back up fund and are realistic about the affordability and your obligations, you should be fine. ☺

Monkeyballs

AleMrsT wrote: »

Hi monkeyballs. Speaking from the point of view of a letting agent, don't go into buying a property to rent out as an 'easy money' investment. Owning a rental property means you have to take a lot into consideration.
An agent can only do so much for you, you need to make sure you have adequate funds for necessary repairs, and a back up fund of mortgage payments in case tenants don't pay the rent. In an ideal world, mortgage cost £400, rental income £500, leaves £100 surplus, £50 of which goes to agent in fees, leaving £50 spare. It doesn't always work like that, and months like that will be the exception, not the rule.
You have to consider: tax implications, landlord obligations such as gas safety etc, and the higher cost of buy to let mortgages. Also, if your back did 'go' again, the property would be considered an asset in terms of any benefits etc.
Sorry for the metaphorical spanner, but wanted to give you an insight into the realities of landlord life before you take the plunge. Happy to answer any questions you have, but if you have a good back up fund and are realistic about the affordability and your obligations, you should be fine. ☺

Hi MrsT,

Ah no sorry you misunderstand, I mean I'd save enough to pay for a place outright so there would be nothing left owing.

And also I'm not thinking of it as an investment but more of somewhere to eventually live if I do find myself unable to afford to buy in York, my thinking is that as opposed to renting it out privately then I'd use an agent - even if rent was £300pcm and the agent took £200pcm then that's a surplus to save for any work required or to refurb as and when required.

On the flip side, I know that Hull is a city which is being regenerated so in 10 years time it could (hopefully) be nicer...

MB

AleMrsT

Monkeyballs wrote: »

Hi MrsT,

Ah no sorry you misunderstand, I mean I'd save enough to pay for a place outright so there would be nothing left owing.

And also I'm not thinking of it as an investment but more of somewhere to eventually live if I do find myself unable to afford to buy in York, my thinking is that as opposed to renting it out privately then I'd use an agent - even if rent was £300pcm and the agent took £200pcm then that's a surplus to save for any work required or to refurb as and when required.

On the flip side, I know that Hull is a city which is being regenerated so in 10 years time it could (hopefully) be nicer...

MB

Hey, ah sorry, I misunderstood you. Must pay more attention in future. Just wanted to share some experience, because I know some of our landlords have come up against problems when they haven't thought about missed rent or unexpected expenses etc. If you can buy it out right then its a wonderful plan, especially if it's somewhere you would be able to live in eventually. I know agents have a bad rep, but i wouldn't wish it on anyone to have to deal with half the crap that we have to, and not be getting paid for it!

Monkeyballs

AleMrsT wrote: »

Hey, ah sorry, I misunderstood you. Must pay more attention in future. Just wanted to share some experience, because I know some of our landlords have come up against problems when they haven't thought about missed rent or unexpected expenses etc. If you can buy it out right then its a wonderful plan, especially if it's somewhere you would be able to live in eventually. I know agents have a bad rep, but i wouldn't wish it on anyone to have to deal with half the crap that we have to, and not be getting paid for it!

Cool, so that's one vote for it being a good idea much appreciated!

I posted it on here hoping someone with a better mind than I have in these matters would give the idea an appraisal which you have, thank you

Obviously this isn't exactly my idea of an ideal 'retirement' lol but I'd like to have a little security in place and I think this covers all bases even if it's not Spain and living la vida loca

As for agents... Everyone needs a job lol, I've not had great experiences in the past but I do know some are better than others and while I like to think of myself as being the perfect tenant and housemate I know others aren't... And I personally wouldn't wan to have to deal with them so respect for that

MB x