Benefits and mortgage payment by father

onedayiwill

I currently recieve PIP (standard daily living) and income based ESA (assessment phase).

I have a mortgage which I am currently paying out of savings (the PIP and ESA cover my other bills and living costs), but can only manage this for a few more months. My father has kindly offered to pay my mortgage for a while once I can't manage it so that I can stay in my home, without worry of losing it, until I am well enough to get back to work.

If he pays the money specifically for the mortgage into my account each month, will that be counted as income and therefore effectively stop my ESA (which would again leave me unable to pay my mortgage as I'd have to use my father's money to pay other bills and buy food etc) ?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer but I'm hoping it isn't true, because if it is I am pretty well screwed.

antrobus

onedayiwill wrote: »

I currently recieve PIP (standard daily living) and income based ESA (assessment phase).

I have a mortgage which I am currently paying out of savings (the PIP and ESA cover my other bills and living costs), but can only manage this for a few more months. My father has kindly offered to pay my mortgage for a while once I can't manage it so that I can stay in my home, without worry of losing it, until I am well enough to get back to work.

If he pays the money specifically for the mortgage into my account each month, will that be counted as income and therefore effectively stop my ESA (which would again leave me unable to pay my mortgage as I'd have to use my father's money to pay other bills and buy food etc) ?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer but I'm hoping it isn't true, because if it is I am pretty well screwed.

I believe that it would be classed as a 'voluntary payment', and therefore disregarded as income.

A voluntary payment is a payment that
1. has a benevolent purpose and
2. is given without anything being given in return

See 53151 onwards in the DWP manual
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/620287/dmgch51.pdf

teddysmum

Is it not possible to negotiate a temporary hold on payments ?

Xbigman

Have your father pay it direct to the mortgage company. Although a lot of cases of money being paid into a benefit claimants bank account are legit it always seems to end in aggravation. Either switch the direct debit to your fathers bank account or talk to the mortgage provider about paying in some other way. It is by far the easiest solution.



Darren

newbutold

This won't be classed as income. However to avoid the hassle of having to attend a compliance interview, I would arrange for your Dad to pay the mortgage company direct, possibly by having the mortgage DD to come out of your Dad's account.

If your Dad has offered to help, I certainly wouldn't be asking for a temporary hold on payments, as suggested above. Not least as u made need to ask this in the future depending on how soon you are able to return to work.

tomtom256

Just ring the DWP explain that your dad is gifting you money to pay the mortgage so you do not lose your home and ask them to log it in notes and it will not cause a problem.

onedayiwill

Thanks everyone. Looks like if my father does pay into my account that might work out.

I also take the point about my father paying direct to the mortgage company as it would avoid any concern about it interfering with my benefits, and I had already though about that as an option. I went to the local branch with my support worker last week to ask if this would be possible, but they said they couldnt deal with that in branch and I'd have to phone the central mortgage office. Which is a problem because using the phone is a major phobia of mine.

I have just found the direct debit form on their website and am thinking of asking my father to fill it in and send it off (obviously with my mortgage account number as the reference number) in the hope of avoiding a phone call! I feel so stupid that phone calls send me into such a panic... Why couldn't they just answer me in branch!

[Deleted User]

At some point you may be eligible for SMI (support for your mortgage), it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to see what help the lender maybe able to offer, you could have your dad with you next to the phone and give them permission to talk to him.

w06

or if it's easier https://ngts.org.uk/ is a text relay service, you can install it on your computer and link it to your phone. ENds up working a bit like the online chat things. you can use it either both typing, you speaking them typing or vice versa.

It is a bit clunky, as it is via someone typing what the other person is saying (I'm deaf so i use me speakign them typing option) but it makes the essential phonecalls doable

xylophone

https://www.gov.uk/support-for-mortgage-interest/overview

Phone your mortgagee when your father is with you and give permission for him to speak to them.

onedayiwill

Unfortunately, I can't phone when my father is with me as we live 500 miles apart and don't see each other often.

I could ask my support worker to help with the phone call but I don't really know how much help that would be. I'll have a look at https://ngts.org.uk/

I have a form which I need to send to the mortgage company which was sent to me from ESA so I assume that is for potential SMI.