WIBU to use rent money

[DoorMat1010]

Suddenly my car needs a lot of work. It's used on a daily basis and I can't get round it, I need it for work.

There's around £450 worth of repairs to be done to the car and rent is £500.

Obviously I'll speak to the agency first but for the last 3 years I've paid rent on time or even a week earlier.

I can pay the overdue off over the next 10 months at £50 a month.

Feel like I'm up shits creek without a paddle.

WIBU to do it?

Archedbrowse Randymagnum but by the same token, by asking her LL to take the hit by having them lose out on rental income that month, the s/he is effectively paying for the car repairs.
Why is it more acceptable for the LL to be out of pocket than her husband?

I don't believe I ever said it was.

LadyStark but don't you see that you have the LUXURY of a car making your life easier?

I don't have a car and could not afford one. If I COULD then I could have chosen other places to live, other schools etc...but I had to choose ones I could GET to on public transport or foot.

A car is a luxury the OP can't afford.

Say you suddenly lost the ability to drive...for health reasons let's say. What would you do?

Say you suddenly lost the ability to drive...for health reasons let's say. What would you do?

I would lose my job. Maybe you live somewhere where you can easily walk into another one with an equivalent salary but I certainly don't. My car is essential for work.

Purple....but if OP can't afford it then that's that isn't it?

A car is a necessity in order to work, which pays for my essentials, ie my car
If I lost the ability to drive I would have to give up my job or move to a more central and therefore more expensive area.
I'm sorry but your logic is flawed. In the modern world where public transport is sporadic and expensive (there are 2 buses per hour until 6 pm from my area and they only take me as far as the train station 2 miles away, plus I'd have to chuck 7yo ds off at the bus stop by himself to cross the road and get himself into school, and cost £2 each way plus £5 train so £9 per day) and employment is no longer local a car is a necessity. The alternative to having a car for me is looking for work within a very small radius to allow me to walk or use viable public transport (that will allow me to get to work and leave on time) - there is nothing in my profession and earning capacity within such a radius so yeah - I could get a job at sainsbos and take a pay drop of probably £1k a month or I could move us into the city I work in and pay out £2-300 more per month in rent.
A car is a necessity.

Purple....but if OP can't afford it then that's that isn't it?

Well the op's financial situation and the mysterious dh who can "help her" isn't totally clear.

For some of us a car is essential to work. If I couldn't afford to have mine fixed I'd be losing out on £1500 a month wages. If it kept me going to work I'd be taking out any emergency credit I could to pay for the £450 repairs. I've already said I don't think not paying the rent is an option.

This is not to say that the op's lifestyle is sustainable as it is.

Round of applause for OPs husband for stepping up

Rent and the home you live in should always be the first priority.Getting to work next on the list. You may find another job if you lose this one...good luck renting another house with a history of rent arrears.homelessness is a real danger.
beg borrow and call on any favour you have in order to pay the rent.sell stuff on gumtree and eBay and speak to the garage about a payment plan for the car.fix only the essentials and look into exchanging that car for a more reliable one asap....but rent is always number one priority.
I'm confused why have you had to approach your landlord and become in rent arrears when you have a DH? Does he live with you?
If you live in an area with a half decent rental market I would be concerned that you will lose your home at the next renewal of the lease regardless of how nice you make the garden...infact you improving the garden may even make it easier to rent in future...simple fact is tenants who are late on rent and do not prioritise rent are not desirable long term tenants.
Rent arrears makes sensible landlords twitchy as it suggests financial issues and can be a sign that rent is not the main priority to the tenant and they may be about to loose a massive amount of money if things go south and you stop paying and they need to evict you...
If you were renting a house from my company we would not renew your lease again.we would also grant arrears now btw....but then take steps to cut our losses. Pay the rent!

Why are you spending money on the garden when you don't have money to pay for car repairs?

how good of DH helping out

randymagnum apologies, my mistake, I did misinterpret your post, and fired off the reply too quickly sorry.

Agree with Savidog's post. The OP should exhaust all other options before asking landlord. I can't believe she thought the appropriate order was to contact the landlord before she asked the garage about the possibility of a payment plan. Even though landlord has agreed now they might decide she is going to be too much trouble in future and terminate her tenancy.

A totally different perspective for you OP. I was a landlady and my tenants moved in, paid one month rent then stopped paying, for no reason at all. Took me 6 months to issue the correct paperwork and get a court date. The court asked if there were mitigating circumstances or any reason not to pay, they said no. The court asked if they were prepared to pay off what they owed month by month, they said no. The court them gave them 28 days to vacate.

At 28 days they failed to vacate. I then had to reapply to the court and wait for a court date. That gave the tenants another two months. When we all appeared in court, the magistrate gave them yet another 28 days to vacate an that time, with bailiffs and three police officers to help, I did get them out. The process cost me £340.

The moral of the story is, if you write to your landlord with a plan to pay off your missed month rent at £50 a month, he would not be able to evict you, or, even if he could, it would not be worth his while because it would cause him a load of hassle, court appearance(s) and hundreds of pounds in fees. If you are otherwise a good tenant, he isn't going to want to lose you for the sake of your being in arrears for a few short months.