Do I have options?

Abend21

I was a carer for 5+ years until my grandmother passed away and I wasn't entitled to stay there (rightly so it was a 3 bedroom). I was moved to a 1 bedroom council flat, which is great. I would have been homeless.

I was on part time work, and put into a position where I had to pay two rents for both flats while moving out. It cost a bomb to dump all of my grandmother's possessions and junk she had collected over 50 years. This was in order to avoid fines from the council having to clear it after I handed in the keys.

A couple weeks into moving into my new flat, while still paying two rents. I was made redundant from my part time job. I have opened a claim for UC but am still waiting on how much I'm entitled to. I'm desperately searching for a job, to try and stay on top of things....However. I have accumulated a lot of debt in the process.

I'm behind two weeks rent, I owe two weeks of rent on the old place too, I owe council tax, I've used the advancement on payment from UC, and I've borrowed a lot off a friend. UC will not match the outgoings right now, I'm sure of it. I have accumulated a lot of debt handling my grandmother's funeral/documents/and last possessions, plus all the rent and council tax.

Until I find a decent job, I'm going to be constantly behind not knowing whether I'll make it week to week.

Are there are any options for me to help me get on top of the debt? Anything I should be claiming?

Thanks for your time.*

WhenIam64

Yes. Everyone has options

Was there any money in your GMa's estate. The estate should cover those bills.

As regards UC, are you claiming the housing element and does it cover your current rent. Some councils have a discretionary scheme.

Council Tax is one you need to look at. Contact the council before they contact you and come to an arrangement to pay off over a period. You may have to do a Statement of Account (SOA)

Also post your SOA here to see if there is anything else others can suggest. There are also debt solutions available but these are determined by your SOA.

cattie

Did you pay for the funeral yourself, only I'm wondering if you could have claimed a funeral grant?

It's a horrid situation to find yourself in after being a carer for your grandmother & I hope that the content of whenIam64's post helps point you in the right direction.

Abend21

She had nothing of value left over really. A mobility scooter which I'm in the process of selling, and a small amount of money which has long been spent towards funeral costs.

This is what's being calculated into my payments

"Standard Allowance
You get a standard amount each month. You said you're single.
Housing
You said that you pay your rent"

I will call the council and work out a payment plan before they're on my case.

I forgot to mention I have a water bill too and light and gas bill that is also about to be behind, assume that's not very useful information though.


By SOA I'm assuming you mean a bank statement or proof of monthly outgoings on things like rent and council tax?


Edit:

Cattie. I paid for the funeral with my own money, her life insurance specifically for the funeral, and some family members chipped in a little.

It's another aspect I worry about. She had quite a lot of debt and I have a feeling any life insurances should have gone to debts. Still in the process of sorting all of this out.....

Alice_Holt

It may be worth getting Debt advice:
https://www.stepchange.org/

Are there any grants you could apply for:
https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/

May be worth a call to carers uk to see if they can advise / help:
https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice

calcotti

Do speak to your local authority about Council Tax Reduction and ask about whether you might be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment to provide short term help.

Focus on paying rent for the property you live in rather than the arrears on the previous property.

Some water companies also have schemes to help people on low incomes who are struggling with their bills.

WhenIam64

I was a carer for 5+ years until my grandmother passed away and I wasn't entitled to stay

To a certain extent you have been over indulgent to the council. You had no liability for the flat's rent. You had no liability for the funeral costs. You did not need to clear the flat. All these costs should have been taken care of by your GMa's estate and in the absence of any monies, the council itself.

Would suggest you do get onto the council and point out what you did irrespective of your liability. See if they will write off some of the debt or allow Discretionary Housing Payment by way of a substitute.

Abend21

Alice_Holt wrote: »

It may be worth getting Debt advice:


Are there any grants you could apply for:


May be worth a call to carers uk to see if they can advise / help:

Thank you very much, these are useful resources I'll ring the debt advice number and give carers a try for advice. I looked into the grants just a moment ago and unfortunately I'm not eligible for any in my area.

calcotti wrote: »

Do speak to your local authority about Council Tax Reduction and ask about whether you might be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment to provide short term help.

Focus on paying rent for the property you live in rather than the arrears on the previous property.

Some water companies also have schemes to help people on low incomes who are struggling with their bills.

I need to get in touch with the council asap in general, I had read in a letter about council tax reductions but I wasn't aware of the short term help. I also thought it would be smart to pay the rent here priority over everything. Should at least have that together for now. Thanks for the advice.

WhenIam64 wrote: »

To a certain extent you have been over indulgent to the council. You had no liability for the flat's rent. You had no liability for the funeral costs. You did not need to clear the flat. All these costs should have been taken care of by your GMa's estate and in the absence of any monies, the council itself.

Would suggest you do get onto the council and point out what you did irrespective of your liability. See if they will write off some of the debt or allow Discretionary Housing Payment by way of a substitute.

I was in the house for quite a few months while we were sorting out a new tenancy, so I was the occupant of the house and owed the rent. I became responsible for how it was left during that time. A lot of people suggested simply leaving the possessions there and letting the council deal with it, but the letters were very clear about fines for left items. I called a housing officer asking for advice and they confirmed I'd have been fined.

There was no money left over or possessions worth value, just the 2000 life insurance which she left in my name and gave me the documents for a few years back, stressing it was for funeral costs. So I put that down on the funeral and money out of my own pocket to cover the remainder along with family members.

Am I really owed anything by the government in this circumstance?

Thanks again for your help. I'm clueless with all of this, and they really don't advise you along the way.

Mojisola

Abend21 wrote: »

I paid for the funeral with my own money, her life insurance specifically for the funeral, and some family members chipped in a little.

Didn't anyone suggest that you make a claim for help with the funeral costs?
https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/eligibility

calcotti

Mojisola wrote: »

Didn't anyone suggest that you make a claim for help with the funeral costs?
https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/eligibility

I think this is only relevant if OP was on,or had applied for, a means tested benefit at the date of death. From opening post in which they say they opened a UC claim following later loss of job I inferred that this was probably not the case.

MovingForwards

Funeral bill is priority, if there is no money left in the estate afterwards the debts don't get paid, you are not liable unless you did something untoward eg spent cash that was under the mattress on yourself / others etc.

If you post up a statement of affairs, there are links on the forum, we can offer suggestions to help you with your financial situation.