sell the house and rent from the council

feefee_3

hi all you may have recalled my post about hubby gambling problems,and what we owe after weeks of number crunching i think we going to sell this house clear every debt we have get rented council accomadtion if we dont give back what we owe the house is going to be repposed.
am i thinking clearley was at one point going to remorgage £500/600 then council tax £120 and insurance contents £25 a month morgage would get paid but with litle or no money left over and i one of us gets ill we be behind again so i cant face 25 years of that
new council rent would be £200 including insurance and council tax £80 i recon we could save £100 a week this way so in a few years time be able to buy another house we live in a 4 apt far to big if no family so i dont see the point im in charge of money now and he gos to ga im not saying hes cured but just dont want posts of what if he gambles
thanks feefee x

Xbigman

This depends where you live. In bristol the waiting list for non priority council housing is about 12 years. For priority housing IE pregnant 15 year olds, its 6 months in B&B first. If you give up your mortgage voluntarily you will not even be put on the housing list. Just make sure the council can/will actually house you. Private rents are *much* higher.
Regards




X

skylight

Same as Xbigman - round here its a 7yr wait just for a transfer, let alone getting on the list!

And our council will not even accept you on the list if you have made yourself intentionally homeless (reposession is classed as intentional!) or even if you sell up - that is making yourself intentionally homeless as you have sold up deliberately. You will be given temporary housing first (like a bedsit type place or b&b) and then the council will assess you and will evict you fast if they believe your circumstances were intentional.

Dont number crunch yourself - have you had proper advice??? Your house will only be repossessed if you are not paying the mortgage on it (intentional homelessness). Could you not sell up and downgrade perhaps - buying a much smaller property?

You *could* (if neither are working or on very low income) sell up, rent privately and claim housing benefit - but again, councils are wise to excessive claims and the forms are now long and tedious!

Best of luck.
C
xxx

Also, round here, you are not permitted more than one offer either, so you take what you've been offered and like it!

[Deleted User]

You hubbys debts are your hubbys debts - NOT yours.

Therefore any assets not in his name cannot be taken from you (or whoever they belong to - but you need to be able to PROVE what you own). If the house is in joint names you are both jointly and severally liable for the mortgage. However - during any reposessions or seizure of goods they can only take HIS share of any equity following the sale of the house.

If YOU are working or have some form of income it is worth trying to transfer the house into your sole name and taking on the mortgage yourself. He will need to sign over his share to you but it may just safeguard your home.

Don't do anything hasty.

Get proper advice first. You do not have to pay HIS debts and no one can make you do so. You need to safeguard what is yours and if your name is also over the door you must take whatever steps you have to in order to protect it and the roof over your head.

It may even mean him moving out temporarily in order to disassociate the debt from you until you have sorted things out. From only reading your post on this thread it sounds like he was the problem in the first place so if he cares at all for your future he will do whatever he can to help put things right.

I don't know all your circs but it seems like you are in an extemely unenviable situation of having a hubby that has caused so much debt for you - now you must start putting yourself, your future (and children if any) first.

Fran

If you seriously go for rented accommodation, enquire with your local Housing Associations as they take people on their lists seperately to the council (as well as being part of the council's allocation). Again, you would not have any priority (unless for instance it is affecting your health, but that is not to do with your present housing so I don't know if they would take it into account or not, worth asking them though). You can put yourselves on the council & housing association lists anyway, you don't have to wait to be homeless or a change of need, then at least you will have any time points if they apply in your area. However a few council's now seem to use a different system where they publicize all available housing & people apply each week (or month?) for the properties they want.

Poppy9

If there is only 2 of you and you have a 4 bed place have you thought of taking in a lodger? Else what about renting it out privately and renting a smaller place yourself for less rent. I wouldn't step off the property ladder if at all possible as you might never get back on.

I haven't read your other posts on oh gambling problem so don't know the extent of your debts. Good luck.

feefee_3

hi just to say its a joint morgage then a seucured loan that he signed my name on/ then credit cards in his name and paid council tax in joint names we are behind with everything,
we have both put our name on the council list, put down seprated we have here quick turn around flats all lying empty we both work the money is average, i know the repostion will start soon so want to sell clear the bebt and get on with life,
i dont thinkwe going to have a problem getting a flat of the council but not 100% sure what one of us gets the flat first we just telling them we have made up ect and if thats ok move in
feefee

Fran

Before you can "get on with life", as you have already acknowledged, you have to sort out the present difficulties. I would suggest that you get professional advice from Citizens Advice Bureau who can advise you on all the areas that you are having problems. They can also negotiate on your behalf if necessary. It sounds from your post (but might just be the way that you write) as though things are a bit muddled and that you think that selling the house will solve everything overnight. There might be other options, but you need an objective opinion with someone who knows all the facts and figures.

Karma67

To be honest feefee, you don't just get a flat from the council that easy....

If you tell the council you are seperated and apply seperately, a single person is lower on the housing list priority than a family in need of accomodation.

And even if flats are lying around empty, you will still have to wait your turn!

Think very very carefully about this!

If you sell your house to clear debts, you would have made yourself 'intentionally' homeless so the council have no legal requirement to add points or move you higher up the list, and when you are offered accomodation you may be offered bed and breakfast/hostel accomodation whilst waitig for a flathouse to be allocated to you, sometimes a wait of 18ths (was for my friend....her and hubby and 4 kids in b&b for 20 mths b4 offered a house!)