Haven’t paid rent in months!

[Uppoopcreek]

I’ve just realised I haven’t paid my rent in around 6 months! I don’t know how this could have happened?
ive lived here around 4 years. All I can think is I set up a standing order a while ago and it didn’t work properly?
now, I have pretty severe MH problems. Awful anxiety and depression(probable ADHD but still waiting for an appointment to start the process). I never check my bank, I’m behind with other bills, too. I’m a bury my head in the sand type of person, but worry constantly about everything, About a month ago I hit rock bottom. Won’t go into details, but it wasn’t great.
I have 3 DC, and I’m on benefits.
Help! What do I do?! Had a text from landlord last night asking me to call him, which is what’s just prompted me to look now. I was asleep when he text.

I suspect op’s landlord’s death coinciding with her bank suddenly “accidentally” deleting her standing order details are far from coincidental.
Did you hope it would go unnoticed in all the confusion, op?

Oh please , col wiped out 6 months of rent ? i call 🐂 on this

And yes, I do know what it is like to have severe MH issues but if isn’t plausible that the OP has spent 6 months rent without realising she had it.

When my bipolar DB had his second manic episode, he managed to spend £20k he didn't have in 3-4 months, didn't pay his mortgage and had his flat repossessed. He didn't even end up with anything to show for it, either - had absolutely no clue what he'd actually bought.

I find it perfectly credible.

Of course reckless behaviour is a well known symptom of mania but the OP doesn’t have bipolar.
I still say that it isn’t plausible that she didn’t realise that the six months rent was still in her account and managed to spend it all anyway despite struggling with the COL
crisis.
If the OP would return to the thread it might become clearer.

Imagine a world without mental illness...

It was a cruel trick to play on a grieving father.

Seriously?

She might have had her heating on, perhaps paying with a successful standing order?

yes, probably had the heat on over this summer,

Yes.

Is this a recent change? Our current tenant has always had it paid directly.

@Cyclingmummy1 i think if you sort it when you first claim universal credit it can be paid directly. I tried changing mine and they said no. My bad I should have set it up when I first claimed

I didn't say the OP was bipolar, but I have also supported clients with other MH issues who have poor impulse control and find dealing with things like budgeting and checking bank accounts incredibly difficult. Clients with EUPD and/or ADHD are disproportionately represented among my debt and financial capability caseload.

That would explain it, it was right from the beginning of the tenancy.

Person I feel most sorry for is the guarantor. One of my mum's friend's went guarantor for her when we were registered homeless when I was a teenager and my mum had no credit due to living abroad so could not (I think) buy any furnishings on HP. I doubt too many people have a spare £££ amounting to six months worth of rent sitting around in their account that they wouldn't miss.

Hope OP can get something sorted that doesn't cause the guarantor financial hardship.

Whilst I agree it's easy to spend through small purchases, that cant be what happened here as OP says the COL has crippled them, cant see OP going on days out ect in these circumstances

I think truthfully, the OP was aware she was overspending her rent, probably kept meaning to put it back and now it's gone too far

So you never check your bank account and didn't notice that your rent wasn't being paid, or that all this extra money was in your accounf, and yet you did manage to notice that the COL crisis was crippling you?

Come on now OP. Both those things can't be true, can they?

No, they aren’t.

I wonder if Mumsnet would tolerate housing benefit claimants being described as 'leeches, having their mortgage rent paid by somebody else'?

Presumably you’ve been receiving UC housing costs but not using it for rent? I very much doubt that you will get DHP - you certainly wouldn’t get it here because you’ve had the rent money, you’ve just spent it on other things. I would speak to the landlord and ask him or her if they would accept a payment plan then your UC will cover ongoing rent and you can pay the extra. Also, take steps to sort out your other debts - you need to keep a roof over those children’s heads

@Uppoopcreek so what happened today

did you speak to landlord

I still can’t see how you spent 400/1000 a month for 6mths

so £2.6/6k without reliesing it

I don’t know you area so took a guess in rent - could be even more in in south east and assume have 2/3 bed if 3 kids

3 beds near me are £1700
and 2 around £1300/1400

as I said before the landlord is also to blame. Why he didn’t contact you the day after rent didn’t appear in his account

Same

I hope the friend the guarantee won’t find it hard to get the money

I was a guarantee once. Said about it before on Another thread

for family

i will never ever do it again as I was left paying the loan / no choice

I remember when Amigo were constantly advertising guarantor loans @ 50% APR. They marketed it as a kind of old school nice way to go about things.

https://www.amigoloans.co.uk/guarantor-loans

I'm reality, you might as well just lend your friends/family the money because if/when they default you're on the hook for the whole amount + 50% APR anyway.

I fear the OP's guarantor is about to get shafted.

They say that no good deed goes unpunished and the poor guarantor is about to find that out.

I’m sorry but this is absolute rubbish. You don’t fritter away a few grand and not know about it