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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Housing Benefit suspended:pay rent or do Christmas - can't do both!

380 replies

NoMoneyMona · 18/12/2015 14:00

I had to put in a claim for top up housing benefit as my job contract ended in October. DH works full time but rent is very high (£1200 for a 3 bed) and we have 3 DC.

I have been unable to find another job despite applying for at least 2/3 most days, as many want weekend workers/evenings, and DH works weekends/eves anyway so we would have no childcare.

HB started paying about 3 weeks later and shortly after that they sent a letter asking for more evidence and gave me a month to supply it. Part of the evidence requested was a new child tax credit award showing the new award since I stopped working as amount would increase. I still did not have a new award by the time the month was up (and I forgot to chase them) so I contacted HB the day after the month was up to explain.

They stated, quite correctly I agree, that I should have contacted them within the month they gave so they could give me more time and as I did not contact them, they had suspended my HB and it would 3/4 weeks to reinstate it. The next day, I got the award notice and took it in to them but they insisted that I would be at the back of the 'queue' and they may not get to my claim before Christmas so I may have to wait until January as they close from the 24th Dec to 4th Jan.

That was 3 weeks ago. We have not had any payments since 23rd November. DH got paid today and if we use that for rent next week (and direct debits, normal food), we will not have a penny left. I will have £50 in tax credits to come as well which will not cover many extras. I have not bought anything for DC as I kept putting if off hoping for the claim to be reinstated. When I rang today, they said I would be unlikely to get any money before the 11th January! We have no access to credit.

WWYD? Would I be unreasonable to keep back about half of the rent and pay the rest when the HB restarts which will cover the shortfall?

OP posts:
lorelei9 · 18/12/2015 16:55

OP, may I just ask you to clarify something? If you pay the rent - which i think you should - then will you be short of food money? That worries me and I am wondering if you should look at a referral to a food bank.

I do think you should pay the rent, for many reasons but not least it will mean you get a good reference from the landlord if you need one.

with Christmas, I don't understand the commercialism and I think if you are religious, the commercialism is redundant anyway. The actual meal need not be expensive. I know turkey is expensive at this time of year but you could have chicken or ham.

with regards to presents, could you make the day a really fun day of games or whatever the DC want to do at home, and then make it up to them next year with an extra gift? I would also look at freecycle.

TheOriginalMerylStrop · 18/12/2015 16:55

Pay your rent. Don't jeopardise your relationship with your landlord

Child benefit is due on Tuesday, do you get that? Can you use some of that for Christmas things

Xmas dinner - shop for it Xmas Eve at Lidl or even Tesco last minute - doesn't have to be expensive, all Xmas stuff is cheap. Eat cheap the rest of the time.

How old are kids? Presents can be promises for if and when you get your HB sorted. Get them some little bits and pieces. They'll cope.

BrushtheHeat · 18/12/2015 16:56

If I didn't like my landlord, there is no way I would want to go to her, cap in hand and admit to financial difficulties. It looks bad if there's a possibility that you want to renew in the summer. Also, leaving the LL short could have consequences for her which are unjust. I wouldn't want her to know I was on HB, not because I would be ashamed but because if she is unhappy with that for whatever reason, she will find a way to evict on petty grounds.
If I had direct debits, I would be ringing the companies and asking to rearrange them, explaining the situation. There are far fewer consequences to doing that and it shouldn't affect credit rating so long as you contact them before cancelling any direct debits.
If I had a good credit rating, I would be taking out an interest free credit card and paying it off in Jan, providing I was certain I was entitled to housing benefit. And I would scale down my Christmas proportionately.

doitanyways · 18/12/2015 16:57

Some replies here are less than pleasant. Would any of us really be OK with giving our children nothing for Christmas?

OP, I am a landlady and would be fine with late rent but you do need to ask.

TheOriginalMerylStrop · 18/12/2015 16:59

Forgot to say OP I do sympathise re the HB situation, they are being very inflexible.

lorelei9 · 18/12/2015 17:01

I think it's awful the HB placed is closed over Xmas. I feel like the world's gone mad - it used to just be a day! But HB office is essential - they should be open.

goodnightdarthvader1 · 18/12/2015 17:02

Would any of us really be OK with giving our children nothing for Christmas?

I don't think the OP is in that situation. She could buy some Poundstore tat and they'd probably be happy. But risking making them homeless as if that's the only alternative? Pfft.

WeThreeMythicalKings · 18/12/2015 17:03

And this thread is why LLs are reluctant to take on tenants who claim housing benefit.

LaurieFairyCake · 18/12/2015 17:07

I'd pay half the rent and spend the other half on Christmas.

Good luck ThanksThanksThanks

BrushtheHeat · 18/12/2015 17:07

the original If the council offices bend the rules for the op then why shouldn't they do it for everyone? And if there are people they can't then the council hold themselves open to all kinds of claims of discrimination etc. And most importantly, why should op skip the queue?! She's only in this mess because of her mistake. Believe me, there will be plenty of people on the list who are stuck through no fault of their own, who didn't know in advance that their work contract was coming to an end (and Christmas coming too!) and did nothing about it!! Angry

foragogo · 18/12/2015 17:08

can someone tell me why the OP isnt just paying the rent and buying some presents on OD and CC like everybody else

2 people working and renting privately would have had an OD and CC set up surely - or would have done so before the job finished.

Katarzyna79 · 18/12/2015 17:09

I would be ok giving my kids nothing for Eid but a good meal and the company of a huge family usually 60 of us. kids love the company of others their age that they don't get to see often due to school and out of school commitments. Even more so if it was a question of paying rent or buying gifts its a no brainer pay the rent it's priority.

nutellacrumpet · 18/12/2015 17:11

YABU. You live off hand - outs off the state. The little money of your own that you earn you want to blow on xmas rather than paying for a roof over your head? Maybe if you want to have money to blow at xmas you and your husband could get better paid jobs and stop expecting the tax payer to fund your frivolous lifestyle. People like you make me sick. Grow up.

TheCuttingRdge · 18/12/2015 17:11

If you were my tenant and did this, I would have no problem serving your notice before Christmas.

You've signed a contract, you have an obligation. It's not up to the LL to provide a buffer because you can't organise yourself.

Shutthatdoor · 18/12/2015 17:12

Not our fault that she overstretched herself and is having to top up the rent.

Not the LL fault you can't pay either....

She has not informed mortgage co that she is renting.

How on earth do you know?

I doubt she is paying tax on the rental income.

Do you see their tax returns!?

OP you are seriously coming across as rude and entitled tbh.

TesticleOfObjectivity · 18/12/2015 17:12

I agree Kata. I'd rather give my dd nothing and have a home. Would be good to know ages of the children as if very young they wouldn't notice, if they are older you can probably explain to them why they won't get anything/much this year.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 18/12/2015 17:13

The HB office being closed over Christmas isn't new, most council services will be. But that's not the cause of the OP's issues. The problem is that she missed the deadline, and therefore the council will prioritise pretty much everyone else.

The issue is that they said the 4th, now it's the 11th, when they get back after Christmas there will be urgent referrals and reviews which will probably push it back again. That's how it works if it's your fault, rather than theirs, because any complaint can be easily resolved by saying that you missed the deadline and therefore are not a priority.

That means OP could be looking at it getting pretty tight to the January rent payment date before she's got her claim restarted, and how much they will backdate is open for debate, so she might not get everything she thought she would. It's likely that she won't get paid for December, so she'll just get January's rent. She may be able to appeal that but again, it'll take time.

In the meantime, the more incomplete/missing rent payments, the higher chance that the landlady evicts the OP and her children. That's especially true if the rent doesn't cover the mortgage.

NoMoneyMona · 18/12/2015 17:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

liletsthepink · 18/12/2015 17:14

Don't withhold any rent and don't take out a loan. The reason is that you don't know for sure if your circumstances will improve next month. Obviously I hope that you get the money that you need from he but what happens after Christmas if one of your children need new shoes or the weather gets much colder and you need extra heating etc? You must try to avoid getting into debt.

I think you have to be responsible here and pay the rent in full along with all your usual bills. It's a horrible situation to be in but your children won't love you any less because you spent less money on Christmas. You are fortunate to have a husband who earns enough to cover the rent and bills - it's time to tighten your belt for a few months until your finances improve.

Jux · 18/12/2015 17:15

I thought you couldn't even start the process of eviction until your tenant was 2 months (or weeks, depending on how often it's normaly paid) in arrears. Then they serve you with a notice which takes time, blah blah blah. There's quite a lot of process to go through. We had a tenant who was always in arrears - but only a bit each month - he didn't feel like paying the full rent so he just didn'5 do it. Eventually, the shortfall built up enough for us to start the eviction.

Ring Gingerbread, and check out your rights. Or CAB. I suspect, if you were to pay some rent, but not all, and then make up the shortfall as soon as you can, you'd find your LL couldn't do much about it. Legally, anyway.

MrsDeVere · 18/12/2015 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whatdoidohelp · 18/12/2015 17:17

Pay the rent! Bloody ridiculous. It's not her fault you are relying on benefits to get by. Why should she do you a favour, act like an adult.

liletsthepink · 18/12/2015 17:20
  • I hope that you get the money you need from hb
Olivepip59 · 18/12/2015 17:23

I'm a LL. Looking for tenants. Had a call today asking if I'd consider renting to HB.

I'm afraid on reading this thread I'm going to say 'no.'

I simply can't take the risk that my tenants might have a similar cavalier attitude.

OP, out of interest, would you be ok with the HB office saying 'sorry, Christmas party season, can't disappoint the staff so we've blown your money on a night out. I'm sure you'll understand."

Same difference.

goodnightdarthvader1 · 18/12/2015 17:24

Well, glad the OP came back with a thoughtful, measured response, thanking posters for their input and suggestions, and outlining her sensible plan of action that DOESN'T involve fucking over her LL who she doesn't like very much.

Whassamatter, OP? Not getting the answers you hoped for? Why do people like this bother posting AIBU? I really don't get it, at all.

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