To sell my house and try and get a council house? To think I'm too poor to own?

OP your Home Insurance provider may be able to cover roof repairs and damp investigation

Give them a ring.

Can you get a grant from the council to fix the roof ?

I will add I’m in a fairly rural area. Not a big city and there is probably a lot less people on the housing wait lists here

Its a bit different as I don’t own a home but I intentionally gave notice to leave my private rented property due to ridiculous rent increase, not being able to afford it anymore, debt and mental health being affected. The council still helped house me as they could see WHY I had done it and could see the reasons it was no longer reasonable for me to stay there and I rehoused before my private rented tenancy even ended. Your council may well help you but it really does depend on your area

Contact your insurance company and see if any of it is covered by them.

Stop spending more on food than on your mortgage! That's insane.

Get the leak fixed asap.

Go through your spending and use something like monzo to create pots of money to spend from.

I don’t have any advice on your housing situation but with regards to clothing help, you could contact https://theclothingbank.org.uk/ They are a Yorkshire based charity but aim to help anyone who needs it. I really feel for you, I hope you get the help you need.

The first thing I would do would be to look at the survey you had done, did they not pick up the issues or did you not pay for a proper survey? Seek some advice from your solicitor if what the survey says doesn’t match up to the reality. You may be able to make a claim, however it may be difficult to do if you already paid out for repairs

Not saying it isn't worth checking this, but unless OP specifically had a structural report where specific questions were asked that are now proved to be answered false, this will go nowhere. The lender survey is only to ascertain whether the property is mortgageable, and (generally) so long as the property is of a regular construction, has a roof, a bathroom and a kitchen, that's all their bothered with.

I haven't read all of the replies, but it might be worth looking into an 'independent voluntary arrangement' for any consumer debt you have which would lower your monthly payments and prevent any CCJs appearing on your credit report.

The first step is getting a handle on your incomings and outgoings and understanding your cash flow.

I second the advice of getting support from a charity focused on helping people in your situation with managing finances - they will often have access to a wealth of associated services that could make your life easier - such as maintaining your home through local schemes and initiatives that provide tradespeople and materials at reduced or zero cost. Have a look into schemes such as solar panels that can be provided free of charge to lower-income households too.

How important is your credit rating? Do you work in an industry where it matters?

Do you have access to a credit card now? In your circumstances, I would prioritise the roof (making sure you use personal recommendations for tradesmen) even if it had to go on a card. If you can't use the card directly, switch food and other spending to it.

Once complete, I'd either look into taking a mortgage holiday (I think you can apply for six months) or speak to an organisation like Step Change about restructuring the debt.

But you do need a proper budget. You need to understand exactly where your money goes. Is it the debt causing the biggest issue? If so that needs looking at but it will limit your ability to access further credit which if you need immediate repair work means considering the timing.

The other thing you could look into is the mortgage period. Can you extend it to lower monthly payments? You can still overpay up to 10 per cent a year on most (bringing the term and interest down again) but the amount you have to pay each month would be lower.

Was the house new when you bought it? If so the developers could be liable to fix issues and the boiler might be under warranty.

I think you are unlikely to get a council house. If you sell up you will make yourself intentionally homeless. And at the moment you will be classed as adequately housed.

The first thing I would do would be to look at the survey you had done, did they not pick up the issues or did you not pay for a proper survey? Seek some advice from your solicitor if what the survey says doesn’t match up to the reality. You may be able to make a claim, however it may be difficult to do if you already paid out for repairs.

You need to look what’s covered by the housing associations buildings insurance.

You also need to look at your income as you haven’t stated income from benefits. You should be claiming disability for your child, UC, you didn’t list child benefit either? Unless your mortgage is extremely high I don’t see why you’ve got in such a pickle.

UC pay towards the rent aspect of your housing costs and you may be eligible for support for mortgage interest payments though I’d think very carefully before you claim that as it’s a loan with interest these days.

Op would it be an idea to lengthen your mortgage or take extra on the mortgage to get the repairs done?

I don't think trying to get a council house is the best long term solution.
You have a few years while your kids are young to get through.

Having a chunk of money in the bank will mean your benefits are likely to be stopped.

Think carefully about what you do.

Could you sell the house and get a flat instead?

Or speak to a housing association and see whether you could qualify buy shared ownership home?

Then if you struggled with the rent part of shared-ownership, you could ask least get this paid through housing benefit (whatever it is called these days). Housing associations have resale houses, not just brand new developments, that you could look at.

Another option would be to sell and move to a cheaper area.

Getting a council house especially if you are a homeowner would be very tricky.

Or maybe you could try to keep the house, speak to the bank and see whether you can pay interest only on the mortgage while you try to do the repairs slowly.

I’d suggest you go and speak to a charity that helps people with debt. Maybe something like https://www.debtadvicefoundation.org/
They could help you look at your in and outgoings.
if you absolutely can keep your house you probably should.
I agree about the lodger idea. Women. Pick carefully.

Can the children's dad help you financially.

I had lodgers for years when my DC was small. Always women. It saved me, when I had no maintenance and didn't earn enough. It absolutely can be a solution.

1. Use a spreadsheet or piece of paper to budget. Write down everything going in and out.

1. Check if you're entitled to any benefits on the entitledto Web page.

1. The water ingress will just be a tile that has slipped and you just need a roofer.

1. Get in touch with the foodbank and get a referral from your GP or perhaps the school.

1. It's nearly summer. The house will dry and things will look better. You only moved in October and it's been the wettest year ever.

As for a council house, then speak to your local council. In most areas there isn't much available.

Unfortunately council housing is like hens teeth. There is an 11 year waiting list on my area and even priority takes around 1-2 years.
Have you thought about selling and just renting? Yes, it's expensive but at least any repairs are done and you might be able to get help with your rent.
You can maybe then be able to make a payment arrangement with family- to pay them back.
We rent. I used to own a house and rent one out. I now rent. I need a four bed house and can't afford one in my area. I am saving to buy a flat outright for when the kids leave home so I have secure accommodation.
Also, I dont have any repairs on the house.
I know this is a roundabout way of doing it and people think I am mad but it makes me happy and I feel less anxious renting . Good luck.

Ref roof leaking

It might be a case that your gutters need clearing out first. This may be causing the leak ?

I got an email last week about some kind of boiler scheme we’re entitled to as we claim Child Benefit I didn’t really read it but maybe look into that?!

Golly… I wish people stopped recommending single mums with little kids to ‘take up a lodger’. Totally undoable for many different reasons.

Anyone can put themselves on the housing list for social housing, you don’t need to sell your house or move to private rent first. I would suggest you do anything to avoid private rent, it’s expensive and sometimes short term. There isn’t a poverty threshold for social housing anyone can apply but your means (I.e home and savings) may set you in a lower band.

The first thing I would do is find your local councillor and explain the situation to them. Local councils manage housing lists so the councillor should have a good idea of how to support your application. When I applied for a relative we were made aware of grants that they could apply for home improvements and repairs.
I’d also call CAB and Shelter either will be able to offer advice on their specialist areas.

Where we are, the local council does excellent work with people who are behind with their CTax and have specialist advisors who can help with budgeting etc. sometimes they can write off arrears or help with a repayment plan. The local councillor should be able to help with this.

Turn2 Us has a benefits calculator, https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/ it won’t take you long to fill in and will make sure you’re getting everything due to you.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself here. It’s ok to be in this situation but please don’t go hungry. If you need a food bank referral get one, this country is in a right mess and food banks are there to support those who go with out.

Take care xx

You won't get housed by the council if you sell. You'll be considered intentionally homeless if you apply. You could sell and move into private rental and the only advantage would be you'd get UC towards the rent but I doubt you'd be better off even if you could find a PR. The only option is to reduce outgoings and/or increase income in the place you're in.