I need major help 19 September 2022 at 5:29PM in Debt-free wannabe 21 replies 4.3K views

Danjay86

So this is my story when covid hit i was a self employed builder, when we was in the lockdown i was unable to work not entitled to furlough nothing i rose alot of rent arrears electric gas council tax etc now then my ex partner left me as a single parent i had to take the kids on which i did claim benefits for my youngest is disabled and needs care 24/7 so was unable to go back to work, my rent arrears are over £1600 as i tried and tried to pay back as much as i could out of benefits same with gas & electric, and council tax but now im stuck my landlord wants to evict me hes been so nice with me but i think he has had enough now which is understandable i get that the council helped me clear £600 off it but cudnt do no more. I have hospital trips weekly with my youngest she has an operation coming up which requires more hospital trips (taxis) as she is unable to walk i pay out of my benefits but do claim it back but takes along time i am just so far behind and my landlord wanting to evict me is going to be tough as i have no where else to go with 3 kids. Life is so tough it really has gotten me so depressed i did make a crowdfunding page to see if anyone could help but i cannot post it anywhere i am just at the end now where i dont know what to do we are walking to 2 miles to foodbanks and back but its a struggle with my daughters disability please can anyone advise what i can do?

sourcrates

I think you need to sort out somewhere new to live as a priority, I would assume that would entail contacting your local council.

As a basic quick response to your post, a DRO (Debt relief order) would probably take care of all your debts, but you will still face eviction unfortunately.

Are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled too? can you find work of any kind?
Have you tried to get help from any of the available emergency funds?

I mean the debt is the easy part to solve, solutions have existed to deal with problem debt no matter how much it may be, for a very long time, all you have to do is make the application, take advice from one of the debt charities in my signature, once you get your housing situation sorted, as that is the priority here.

Danjay86

They all advised me the same a DRO but it costs so much to do it which i dont currently have, but as you say wouldnt solve my landlord problem out, i am paying an extra £120 per month to clear the arrears which is leaving us without food alot of the time but i think he has had enough now & wants it all cleared in one, i am claming everything i am entitled to. I have contacted council they will put me on housing list but i wouldnt be top priority they say upto 3 years at max to find me somewhere and with no immediate family around anymore i have no where else to go

RAS

Hi, although the DRO fee is £90, you may get some or all paid for you if you are on benefits. 

You have to use a recognised debt agency to access that fee support, and you need a competent authority to apply for the DRO.

If you contact any of the free debt advice organisations in sourcrates' signature, they should tick both boxes and be able to sort out the fees for you. 

Danjay86

Thank you that would solve all of that but the rent is the one that needs fixing more than anything else 😢

TheAble

I'd suggest talking to the council again. If you explain you're about to be evicted and you have kids one of whom needs full time care I imagine that would make you a high priority case. 

Danjay86

You would think so wouldnt you but they have helped as much as they can they told me

RAS

Can you check whether there are any charities that might help with back rent (might be worth asking Housing Advice rather than Housing)? Speak to Shelter etc? Check also for foodbanks.

Have you got a S21 notice to quit? Or is it S8 for arrears? It is important as they have different timelines.

And if it's S8, is the current arrears more than 2 month's rent?

Oh and are you claiming CMS, even if it's only a little bit?

MEM62

Danjay86 said:

You would think so wouldnt you but they have helped as much as they can they told me

The you need to push them.  Don't let them fob you off.  If you are evicted they will have the issue of housing you - particularly as you have a child with additional needs.   

RichinFriends

Under the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017), your/any local authority has a Duty to Assess you if you are at risk of homelessness within 56 days. It sounds like you are so please contact your council. You need the Homelessness Team or they are also called Housing Options or Solutions or other such positive sounding names now. You can find their details on the Homelessness page. You may have been speaking to Housing Allocations which is council wating list or simply the Customer Service team. They are not all trained up and you may be shocked at the level of ignorance each department has about each other.

 As above, Shelter or Citizens Advice can assist or advocate for you. You will be a priority due to your children and you will get some support. It may be that they offer you what is called Temporary Accommodation which can be for years, depending on where in the country you are. Depending on availability of Temporary Accommodation, it may be that you need to move further from your children's school. However, as your daughter has medical needs, you can ask to remain in your local area too and if you get an advocate they can lean on that. However, it is in the Homelessness Code of Guidance which available online, that Housing will take all circumstances into account. But there is always their discretion, which is usually because there is not accommodation available in your area. 

It's a long road to being offered your own council property simply due to oversubscribed resources. 

Please do not accept that the council can't help you. They can and have a duty to. 

RichinFriends

To add, the above information re: Housing Act and Code of Guidance applies to housing applications in England. It is on gov.uk website, in the public domain and is the guidance that council staff use.