Major debt problems

clairbing

Hi,

I have never posted on this site before, but I just didn't know where else to look.

I am 23 and have a grand debt total of £15,000 partially due to being out of work for a period of time last year and partially due to my partner leaving me.

Part of that debt is £1700 rent arrears with the council. They gave me time to pay, but I couldn't pay what they were asking for as I am on my own with a young child, now they are evicting me. I am working 50 hours per week and trying my best to pay everything off but now i don't know what to do. I have worked out that I can pay it back by the skin of my teeth by the end of december but they are not having it. I have to be out by the 29th November.

The only way I can think is to get a loan. Can anyone reccommend a company? I also have not very good credit rating. If I can get a loan to pay back the arrears then I can at least try and sort myself out.

Please help me someone

Spendless

Hi clair

if you get a loan to get yourself out of bother - as you say you would probably only get a high interst one anyway - and you might get yourself into a worse situation.

Are you claiming everything you are entitled to - ie CTC and WTC (if eligible) since you are working?

What about going somewhere like Citizens Advice re your situation.

clairbing

i can't claim childcare tax credit as my childminder is not registered (couldn't find a registered one) and only get £10 per week wtc because they reckon i earn too much.

as for the cab- i looked on their site and there wasn't an awful lot of info to help me so I called them and they have given me an appointment- in7 weeks time!

my father has told me that he can give me some money- but not till the new year. i will be able to pay the loan back within a couple of months and quite frankly i need a solution now so i may just have to accept the higher interest rates.

Spendless

have you thought to post on benefits board to see if anyone can help you there?

How old is your child? If under 5 are there any nurseries you could use instead and claim some of the childcare costs back?

clairbing

my daughter is 3 years old. she was in a community nursery until 3 months ago when my partner walked out on me and i found out that he hadn't paid the fees for 3 months so it was bye bye nursery. all of the nurseries want at least 2 weeks upfront which i don't have

Spendless

have sent you a pm

Debt_Free_Chick

clairbing

Please call the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000

I'm sure they'll be able to help re the debt to the Council and your general situation.

More information here

https://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

HTH

Mrs_Thrift

You could also try Shelter. http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/housingadvice.cfm

They help people with housing problems and upcoming evictions, not just those that are already homeless.

The site says:

"Find out what you can do if you're homeless or about to lose your home. You may be entitled to help, even if you're not sleeping on the streets"

Best of luck.

frepol

as for the cab- i looked on their site and there wasn't an awful lot of info to help me so I called them and they have given me an appointment- in7 weeks time!

Did you explain to them the urgency of the situation? Best thing to do would be to find out when they are open and just turn up!


Finally, have you put all the details that you have here into writing for the council? Write to them explaining the whole situation, when you expect to be able to pay them money and how much. Also explain why you couldn't keep up with the previous payment arrangement. To not send it simply addressed to 'The Housing Department' but find out the name of the Housing manager from the Council's website and address the letter to him or her.

frepol

Also forget to say - today is normally the day when MPs have their constituency surgeries. Have you thought about going to see your MP or local councillor. You will find that these people can have a lot of influence. For example, a letter or a phonecall from an MP goes straight to the top and things tend to get done quite quickly as they can make life quite difficult for housing managers etc if they want to.

Don't forget - the council is not necessarily interested in throwing you out of your house, only for you to join their emergency housing list. They might just need an explanation and a promise from you and a push from someone with a bit of influence!

frepol

Just read the further postings on the Benefits Board.

Would definitely still try the MP or councillor though!