Is this affordable

[Sunshine977]

If I rent a property and after I’ve paid the rent I’m left with £404 month. This is also to cover gas and electric top ups, car insurance, petrol, food for myself and one child, debt repayments. Is this enough to live on each month?

@Sunshine977 Thanks, that makes more sense! They're being ridiculous then. Are you definitely getting everything you're entitled to in terms of UC etc?

No, not enough. A single month of higher elec and gas usage and you’re stuffed.

Your council are being utterly ridiculous.

This. Sorry you're dealing with this OP.

@laclochette yes I have used the Turn2us website and I get everything I’m entitled to. I’m trying my best to try and get a higher income but in the mean time my rent is due to go up again so with that it will even less, probably will go down to £300 a month to live on

Have you checked using the Entitled To calculator?

Is UC paying your rent?

You need to give us details of all your income and expenditure.

UC covers some of it but can not cover all of it. £125 I am paying for the shortfall so I’m left with the £404 and the shortfall will be about £200 at the next rent increase which my landlord has said will be in the next few months

Unfortunately my place of work shut down and my income just reduced dramatically. I’m looking for work but really struggling to make ends meet on £404 a month and the council have looked at that along with my bank statements and just said it’s affordable

Yes, make sure you're claiming everything you're entitled to. Not been over there in a while but mse was always very good at advice on budgeting, what to claim for etc. For general budgeting YNAB is good but it's not free beyond the introduction. Great for helping you manage what you already have but won't magic the numbers you've given us. I really hope you find something more affordable soon.

Did you apply for a DHP and that was when the Council looked at it?

I applied for a DHP but was turned down as they said the funding isn’t available so I got some advice as I can’t find cheaper private rents even out of my area and even if I tried to rent another at the same price I am paying now I would be turned down for affordability so it doesn’t make sense. I was told to speak to the council as apparently they can help if your current home is unaffordable to try and prevent homelessness but they’ve just said they can’t help

Your car insurance seems crazily high op. To me though maybe it's because I'm 50.

What about CM?

How necessary is your car?

@arethereanyleftatall yes it is high, I am 26 and that’s the cheapest quote I could get but I do need my car as my daughters school is about 10 mile round trip and my family live in a different area so I need it to get around otherwise I would sell my car

local housing allowances are going up from April so that should increase your Uc rent element a bit.

Tbh the worst part is the rent is increasing again but the house is very old and has a damp problem, it’s very drafty and cold and my landlord won’t always have repairs done. He came to do an inspection telling me to fix issues that were like that when I moved in, which I have proof of as I took photos of it

@Sunshine977 i can’t see how that would work. I thought I was bad with paying half my wage on rent (1400), no car payment and two dc 50% of the time. I can’t see how they think that’s affordable at all!!

It looks difficult to make ends meet on those figures. Have you asked the local council for a contribution from the special household support fund they have for help with the cost of living? See the council website.

My local council has been providing warm places for people to go to to save on energy costs - may be in somewhere like a local library or meeting rooms in the council buildings.

Look out for any community food initiatives there may be locally. For instance, where I live there is a scheme for avoiding waste and food being thrown away - food is collected from supermarkets and given away free to anyone who wants it. Something like that would probably be on your local council website.

Are there any local church or other organisations running schemes to help with cost of living?

How soon is your debt due to be paid off?

What is the father of your child doing in this situation?

I mean, I've (barley) survived on less! But I think you're entitled to some help here so pls do listen to PPs and apply for it

That’s not enough to live on! Can you move home and stay with family for a while until you get another job?