Unable to pay full rent

[bratzdoll]

I'm a single parent currently on maternity leave so I receive UC monthly to help pay my rent and further bills. I'm private renting but I got the flat through the homelessness scheme (when you're homeless and in temporary accommodation but willing to take a private flat instead of waiting years in temporary accommodation until a council flat is available)

The benefit of private renting through the homelessness scheme is that the council are in contact with Landlords that are happy to rent to someone on UC and are usually happy to negotiate the monthly rent price.

I moved into the flat a few months ago and always pay my rent to the Landlord's agent one day before it's due just so the receive it without any problems or anything.

This month my UC was around £1100 less than it should have been because my employer incorrectly reported that I had earned around £2500 last month
I'm still only receiving SMP so I have no clue how they made such a drastic mistake but this means DD and I are living on near to nothing this month.

I sent an email to the Landlord's agent a few days before the rent was due to let them know the situation. I included screenshots of my UC Payment page so they could see the breakdown of what I normally get and see what was deducted. I did say I was able to contribute a small amount to the rent (less than £200 as I was given less than £400 from UC to live on for the month)
I also let them know that I spoke to my work coach about what happened as she's raised this with the investigation team so hopefully she'll hear back from them soon.

I spoke to the agent on the phone the day before the rent was due (I always speak to the manager btw) and she was very understanding and just said to update her with what happens. The next morning I get an email from her saying the Landlord was not happy at all (understandingly) and that I need to do whatever it takes to be able to pay the rent in full including taking out an overdraft!

I've never not paid my rent since I've lived here and it's not as if I got the dates mixed up or I spent the money on something else. The rent amount wasn't given to me for no fault of my own. I was a bit shocked at the Landlord's response as I'd literally given him more than half of what I received just to be able to contribute something. When in reality I could have kept it and spent that on myself and my daughter as we desperately need it!

There's often a discussion on Twitter about some Landlords and how they refuse to be understanding even in unavoidable situations. I understand I'm renting and effectively helping to pay off his mortgage, but this wasn't my fault at all.

(just in case anyone wants to bash me for being on benefits, I've been working full time since I was 17. It's more or less impossible to be a single parent living on SMP)

Can you apply for a budget loan? It will take about two weeks but will mean you can pay some more towards your rent, you can get £812 if you have a child.

I can see both sides. I'm a landlord and would have been more sympathetic if you've been a good tenant as these things happen, but equally I've had tenants that constantly come up with excuses, and it ways starts with the first one. Not landlords are multi millionaires with a string of properties, some have one property, just can't afford to sell and desperately hope they won't get a tenant that builds up arrears and trashes the place. And equally many tenants treat the place like their own and pay rent on time and should be given a break when they need it. I've had both types of tenants and the one I have now is fab, I'd absolutely show her flexibility I'd she needed it. I just hope the UC sort the cock up soon, they're the idiots to be angry at.

Agree with previous posters that this is not your landlords fault at all but is a total cock up by your employer.

Doesn't make the situation any less stressful for you though OP. Keep on at payroll and i really hope you get it sorted

@choli

I'm renting and effectively helping to pay off his mortgage I think you will have lost any sympathy with that statement

Why? It is true- that is exactly what she is doing.

I was helpful from my first post.

I asked relevant questions to understand what the situation actually was in order to give you better advice.

Your landlord is being incredibly shortsighted here; why on earth would you get stroppy with an otherwise good and reliable tenant over a cashflow problem that isn't their fault? The rules around evictions and tenant rights mean that a landlord could easily be waiting 6+ months to evict a non-paying tenant through the courts. If they don't have the contingency to cover that eventuality, let alone rent being a few weeks late while this problem is being sorted out, they should reassess their choice to rent property out.

It feels like you've explored all practical options to pay OP, I'd hang tight and wait for the UC mess to be sorted out, while regularly chasing your employer to fix it. Certainly don't feel pressured into getting into a cycle of high interest debt in order to make your landlord a bit more comfortable!

Is there anyway you can go above the head of the payroll team, eg to head of finance?

We had a woefully useless payroll person for a while, and someone ended up on an emergency tax code incorrectly because they hadn't submitted some bit of info when a new starter joined.

When it happened the third month, their line manager went straight to the Finance Director and it was sorted within 48 hours, and they made an interim payment in advance of the tax refund that was due the following month.

@bratzdoll I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it already but have you given copies of your bank statements to your work coach for the entire assessment period (it has to cover the start and end date not your pay period) also it is a long shot but your council may offer a discretionary housing payment whilst it is resolved. DWP have to contact HMRC so it can take a while to fully resolve. I would also recommend calling your local citizens advice as they are used to supporting people with issues on UC

@TheCheesyBakedBeanGetsGlam you don't understand how benefits work. Social Services just don't pay your gas and electricity. You have to be referred to most foodbank.
You are basically asking the OP to give all her money to the landlord without any guarantee of having food or nappies. Anyone who did this is bonkers.

I haven't read other people's comments, only yours, but I think you can rest assured you've done the right thing and have kept your landlord and agent well informed. I would try not to get too distracted with the landlord pushing you. They've learnt that being too understanding with people puts them at the bottom of the payment pile, so it's not really you they're thinking of but previous tenants. Weather the storm and it sounds like it will all be sorted by the end of the month. Good luck

Is your SMP paid 4 weekly @bratzdoll? If so then this can't be rectified by UC. If you're paid monthly then clearly it's your employer's error

@Nat6999

Can you apply for a budget loan? It will take about two weeks but will mean you can pay some more towards your rent, you can get £812 if you have a child.

No do not do this. Getting into debt with resultant interest payments can sink people on very low incomes. The people advising this have zero idea of the potential impact, or just don't care. If your landlord suggests getting into debt, just say no one will lend you the money.

@LakieLady

Is there anyway you can go above the head of the payroll team, eg to head of finance?

We had a woefully useless payroll person for a while, and someone ended up on an emergency tax code incorrectly because they hadn't submitted some bit of info when a new starter joined.

When it happened the third month, their line manager went straight to the Finance Director and it was sorted within 48 hours, and they made an interim payment in advance of the tax refund that was due the following month.

As I'm on maternity leave my work laptop has been disabled as I haven't been active for 45 days. I also don't have anyone's contact details on my phone! I've sent Payroll and my line manager another email today but if I don't get a response by tomorrow, I'll call IT on Monday to get my work laptop up and running again.

Then I'll be able to go on the Internet and get all the HR/finances contact details. This is definitely something they need to sort out asap. None of the 'oh we'll give you backpay next month' no thanks hun

Your LL has been surprised by this. It sounds as though they were persuaded to take on tenants from the scheme and painted a rosy pictire of what was likely to happen - aka been spun some tale about LA supporting payments etc. So they have probably been shocked and hadn't prepared for this.

Then there is. You said When seeing how little I'd been given I wasn't thinking 'oh no what's going to happen with the Landlord's mortgage.' I was thinking about my daughter and all the bills I have to pay!

And that perhaps shows a problem with how you think of the rent and landlord. Rent is a bill you have to pay. It isn't something else, something optional. It is as absolute as any other bill. Maybe that is contributing to how you feel about the landlord.

All you can do is keep on pushing anyone you can think of to get the cash to cover the rent. Maybe ask your employer for an advance to cover the error they made. You could pay them back whenever your UC gets sorted.

If I was you I’d get the work laptop up and running today. I wouldn’t wait.

[quote EatCakeBeMerry]@bratzdoll I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it already but have you given copies of your bank statements to your work coach for the entire assessment period (it has to cover the start and end date not your pay period) also it is a long shot but your council may offer a discretionary housing payment whilst it is resolved. DWP have to contact HMRC so it can take a while to fully resolve. I would also recommend calling your local citizens advice as they are used to supporting people with issues on UC[/quote]
I did ask my work coach if she needed payslips/bank statements for any pay received during the assessment dates and she had said no but if they did need them, she'll let me know. She had already knew the date I got paid so I'm guessing she was able to see when I got paid on her end.

Thank you but I have already received DHP as the council paid the deposit to the Landlord at the beginning of my tenancy

@Skyll

If I was you I’d get the work laptop up and running today. I wouldn’t wait.

She's just said it's been shut off

Certainly don't feel pressured into getting into a cycle of high interest debt in order to make your landlord a bit more comfortable!

Getting into debt with resultant interest payments can sink people on very low incomes. The people advising this have zero idea of the potential impact, or just don't care.

I certainly will NOT be getting into any sort of debt over an issue that wasn't even caused by myself so thank you for these comments

I think the landlord is unreasonable, assuming he was give all the information, including screen prints.

A tenant in this situation absolutely should not borrow money to meet their obligations, that's just causing themselves future problems. The landlord was wrong to suggest that. (I'm hoping that he just said it to convey "do everything you can", he might have been thinking that OP had savings they were hoarding.)

I would ask consider asking the employer for an emergency interest-free loan so I could pay the rent. Seeing it was their fuck-up that caused this problem, they have a moral responsibility to alleviate it.

You can apply for a budgeting loan from UC it's interest free and can be paid in a couple of day or apply on your local councils website for a discretionary housing payment which is a 1 off payment to help with paying rent.

She said

I'll call IT on Monday to get my work laptop up and running again.

I personally would do that today, as she said she needs that to get HR and payroll contact details.

@HoardingSamphireSaurus yes the advice is always to prioritise rent amongst all debts. But the OP and her baby has to eat. What do you suggest? She pays the landlord all the money she has and doesn't eat and has no nappies for her baby? Is that really what you are suggesting?

*What a silly thing to say.

If you’re a landlord who is part of a scheme that takes people facing homelessness then you know you have tenants that don’t have chunky amounts in the bank and should budget accordingly.

Especially because UC can frequently be problematic.*
*

When people are on such low incomes that they're entitled to UC, it's very difficult for them to build up a "buffer". Especially when they've just had a baby and had to buy all the stuff that babies need.*

!!!

I’m stunned by the response on here. People really live in their own world where £10k or more in savings is normal. grasping the fact a previously homeless single mum on benefits is unlikely to have savings isn’t difficult. I would be keen to ensure LL has clear updates of actions you’ve taken and time scales. You may be able to get an interest free overdraft agreement from your bank so you then pay it back immediately once you have the funds. Worth asking - let LL know you V are “in conversation with your bank, your employer and UC.”

@Skyll

If I was you I’d get the work laptop up and running today. I wouldn’t wait.

Not possible as I won't be back home with my work phone and laptop until Monday