Received inheritance but am dsabled and vulnerable.

WillowCat

Andypandyboy wrote: »

To be fair, they have to act in the taxpayers interest. Would the averge person spend 4k on a TV? Doubtful, would the average person etc, etc.

Ames wrote: »

Obviously something like a 4k TV would be out, but a 'normal' HD one for a couple of hundred should be OK.

4K is actually the technology - higher definition than HD and not a reference to it costing £4k. I think you can get one from about £600 now so not necessarily excessive.

Ames

I knew that 4k was the name and not the price, but I hadn't realised they'd come down so much in cost. I'd say that £600 is still a bit steep though.

WillowCat

Ames wrote: »

I knew that 4k was the name and not the price, but I hadn't realised they'd come down so much in cost. I'd say that £600 is still a bit steep though.

Actually I'm out of date too - just seen a 40" LG for £349. Given that a TV should last ten years or so that would seem reasonable.

GregoryH

Andypandyboy wrote: »

To be fair, they have to act in the taxpayers interest. Would the averge person spend 4k on a TV? Doubtful, would the average person etc, etc.

It is effectively "their" money you are spending as deprivation of capital means you will be back under the 16k limit and on benefits sooner than would otherwise have been the case. Obviously, there have to be safeguards.

If you look at it from the perspective that you were relying on benefits previously and now you are not that is surely a good thing. Spend reasonably and keep receipts and you will not have a problem.

I meant 4k resolution but I totally agree with you. Ever since I have been on benefit I have always had to spend reasonably. Seems like it's not gonna change much but that's life I guess.

GregoryH

WillowCat wrote: »

Actually I'm out of date too - just seen a 40" LG for £349. Given that a TV should last ten years or so that would seem reasonable.

They had those in at that price in Richer Sounds. 4K screen with a 6 year warranty. Seemed like a no-brainer at the time I saw them.

GirlFromMars_2

I bought a flat to live in on a Shared Ownership basis with an inheritance.

In this situation, if the OP wanted to purchase a property, they would need to write to a the Benefits Office, stating their situation, and asking a Decision Maker for a Written Decision about whether purchasing a property would be Deprivation of Capital.

(Calling the call centre does not count as getting a decision from a Decision Maker - I spoke to three separate real life Decision Makers when I was purchasing my property, none of them though I was depriving myself of capital. The call centre staff cannot make these decisions, and do not know what they are talking about if they advise you one way or the other.)

I own 55% of my flat, the Housing Association owns 45% and I receive Housing Benefit that covers the rent, service charges, repairs and a sinking fund for future large repairs.

The Housing Association is responsible for all external repairs, gas and electrical repairs, a gas safety certificate and fitted kitchen & bathroom repairs.

The Housing Association I brought my property with is part of the HOLD scheme, and was set up to help Adults with Learning Difficulties purchase their own homes. They now also assist people with Mental and Physical Health problems.

The House Buying process is extremely simple and easy to navigate, as it was set up for Adults with Learning Difficulties.

And although I own my property, I don't have to worry about large repair bills & maintaining the property, as that is part of the service my Housing Association provides, and is covered by my rental portion, and housing benefit.

Yes, in this situation a Deprivation of Capital needs to be made by a Decision Maker, and nobody on this forum can tell someone that they can buy a property to live in, but please stop scaring people into thinking that it's not worth contacting a Decision Maker themselves to ask about their situation.

nannytone_2

GregoryH wrote: »

They had those in at that price in Richer Sounds. 4K screen with a 6 year warranty. Seemed like a no-brainer at the time I saw them.

youre blowing your statement that you can't manage finances right out of the water with a comment like that

gunsandbanjos

nannytone wrote: »

youre blowing your statement that you can't manage finances right out of the water with a comment like that

I agree, the whole thread reads like I want to keep my benefits and use the inheritance on shiny stuff I'd like.

pebbles88

GregoryH wrote: »

I just don't like the idea of only being able to spend the money on whatever is approved by them to be of a benefit to my well being. Imagine the following scenario :-

You see that 4k TV? Too expensive and unnecessary. See that nice shirt? Too expensive. See those jeans? Too expensive. Buy cheap jeans from the market.

Exaggerated maybe, but I'm sure you get why I am upset.

GregoryH wrote: »

Ever since I have been on benefit I have always had to spend reasonably. Seems like it's not gonna change much but that's life I guess.

Lots of people work full time, and would love to be able to spend reasonably - their normal being having to budget for everything & cheaper options being their only route. I buy most of my clothes from the supermarkets, if I see anything else I would really like, I have to save up for it.

I make do & mend, meal plan to An inch of my life, batch cook so that I save on food & energy costs (thanks O/S board ��) and have to watch every penny. It's tough, but I just crack on, I might not have much, but t what I do have, is mine. I had to drag myself out of really bad debt several years back, so it makes me happy to only have to answer to myself.

Me, I'd happily take the chance to not have to answer to anyone but myself (being off benefits) & plan/invest carefully to help the money last as long as possible. But that's just my opinion

Ames

GirlFromMars wrote: »

I bought a flat to live in on a Shared Ownership basis with an inheritance.

In this situation, if the OP wanted to purchase a property, they would need to write to a the Benefits Office, stating their situation, and asking a Decision Maker for a Written Decision about whether purchasing a property would be Deprivation of Capital.

(Calling the call centre does not count as getting a decision from a Decision Maker - I spoke to three separate real life Decision Makers when I was purchasing my property, none of them though I was depriving myself of capital. The call centre staff cannot make these decisions, and do not know what they are talking about if they advise you one way or the other.)

I own 55% of my flat, the Housing Association owns 45% and I receive Housing Benefit that covers the rent, service charges, repairs and a sinking fund for future large repairs.

The Housing Association is responsible for all external repairs, gas and electrical repairs, a gas safety certificate and fitted kitchen & bathroom repairs.

The Housing Association I brought my property with is part of the HOLD scheme, and was set up to help Adults with Learning Difficulties purchase their own homes. They now also assist people with Mental and Physical Health problems.

The House Buying process is extremely simple and easy to navigate, as it was set up for Adults with Learning Difficulties.

And although I own my property, I don't have to worry about large repair bills & maintaining the property, as that is part of the service my Housing Association provides, and is covered by my rental portion, and housing benefit.

Yes, in this situation a Deprivation of Capital needs to be made by a Decision Maker, and nobody on this forum can tell someone that they can buy a property to live in, but please stop scaring people into thinking that it's not worth contacting a Decision Maker themselves to ask about their situation.

I think this is aimed at me - the last thing I want is to scare people, but I equally don't want people to just go ahead and do it and find themselves in a mess.

I missed out in my post that my benefits advisor said they'd sounded out a decision maker and talked about my case. Whether they did or not I'm now wondering, but I still think I made the right decision.