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 very much doubt OP will be eligible for the discretionary household payment issued by local councils!!
Certainly not, when she’s had her rent paid via benefits already, and failed to hand it over.
Why would anyone imagine they should pay twice?

Any LL reading this thread will be very unlikely now to take a chance on renting to someone with MH issues. Can’t blame them really when so many people are saying that the OP is justified in her behaviour and even vilifying her LL who has done nothing wrong.

Well of course, especially when so many seem to have the view that it's evil and appalling to expect someone on benefits to actually pay rent!

Oh, I am already there ahead of everyone else, as I said. Though of course people in employment can also have MH issues. A bit less likely though.

Yes and many people with severe MH issues can keep their finances in order and make sure they pay their bills so it is quite unfair that they will all be tarred with the same brush.
Luckily, my LL didn’t know that I had just come out of a psychiatric hospital when I took on this rental property. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been chosen otherwise but I am a great tenant despite my MH issues.

Well we don’t know landlords situation. OP said he lost his son few years ago and this flat used to be his. Maybe father wanted to keep the flat as a memory of his son but now thinks it’s too difficult to deal with such tenants so he wants to sell it.

I know people that have had the discretionary payment for housing, which if a payment is agreed by them, is paid directly to the landlord by the HSF. Yes, it can be for people who already had the rent money depending on the circumstances.

The circumstances of are taken into account. It is a one off. It's not done on a regular basis. Once it has been done once the rent is then directly paid to the landlord be it private or local authority/housing association.

The landlord will be told to apply for direct payment by the discretionary payments dept. Yes that can still be done on U.C too.

I work voluntary in this area so I know this to be true. Each case is taken on merit and it's not a given the H.D dept will pay it.

It is very much scrutinised, with evidence and usually they want to speak to a professional or service involved with the person/s.

I don't think anyone is justifying what has happened. I am not. You don't have to condone something to give practical advice. Every situation is different

@keffie12 so you think there could be circumstances where someone could say
'Ooops spent £3k+ of my rent on 'stuff' instead, and the LA will say 'oh sure, don't worry, we'll double pay'?

I have schizophrenia, been in and out of hospital etc. I make sure I pay my bills to keep a roof over our heads. I would notice if the money had not gone out for our mortgage, when we rented I kept on top of the finances. I have had periods where I have overspent but I have responsibilities with my child and he deserves to have a secure home.

There is a duty to ensure the children are housed, so it is more cost effective to use a DHP than arrange housing for children (and their parent).

Where does it stop? just keep 'forgetting' to pay rent and the LA will keep bailing you out?
It's easy to set reminders on your phone to check the bank, you don't risk your children's home.

I’m not saying they should do it but if the law says they must house the children and this is the cheapest way, you can see why the LA do this. I’m not suggesting this is the OP’s situation but repeated episodes of homelessness like this (e.g. at fault) would be flagged to children’s services.

@flea101 I agree- my 26 year old son has ADHD and is somewhat disorganised at times - he strangely manages to make sure his rent is covered every month and knows the state of what he has /or hasn't got in the bank - I think the OP is talking crap-she got away with it first month knowing landlord was in a state ( naturally) and then thought she would push it as that extra money was good- now realises she's in a mess.

Glad things are getting worked out,

Can understand the shock, but not how you were struggling for money if 6 months rent was added to your budget and spent on essential items.

Might be worth connecting with citizens advice, gingerbread. 3 DC is a lot to cope with and especially when it seems you are struggling with yourself currently. Good to see what other help and support may be available.

Speak to the landlord, tell him the mistake then speak to the bank and ask them to work out who made the error - if they themselves messed up, they should be able to assist.

This was the same for me as a kid, we walked everywhere as my parents didn’t drive anyway. We didn’t have all the other novelties as well we have today, Xmas Eve boxes, elf on the shelf, Halloween was a bon bags and nails, the house wasn’t full of decorations. My two children are growing up in a world with constant add ons and they expect it now. We can’t even go to the local shop without some expectation I’ll buy them things. I think the 90’s were simpler.

Well definitely speak to the bank, if you've been paying from your account via standing order, for 3.5 years why did it suddenly stop?
Although if the account of the ll was closed that's a possibility, but surely it would have shown as bounced back?

Yes possibly the bank account was closed as original ll is now dead

So yes Would have bounced Back but if op doesn't check her balance age wouldn't have known

Tho it would show this

Is it the original landlord on this thread has died? So she needed to change her rent to the new landlord and that did not happen somehow?

The original landlord died. His father took over after the son died. But. Considering Probate (England/Wales) or Confirmation (Scotland) doesn't let an Executor do anything very much until they've got all the details of estate listed and officially authorised to act (which can take months even if the deceased was organised with their finances), so the new landlord may not have been aware OP stopped paying coincidently from what I can gather around the time original landlord (deceased son) died. The new landlord (bereaved father) was unlikely to have been able to mandate the rent going to his account prior to gaining Probate/Confirmation. But the tenant should have been aware because there are a lot of ways to check your account nowadays and they could have set aside the money in a separate account quite easily

This has to be a wind up, COL has crippled you and you didn’t realise at all that you suddenly had a whole rent worth of extra cash in your account every month? Doesn’t sound remotely believable

I know. It's appalling isn't it? People are so quick to excuse and justify a lack of personal responsibility these days. They really do seem to think that LLs, utility companies, local authorities etc are there purely to act as a charity.

I think LLs should be entitled to apply for the tenant's housing element of universal credit to be paid directly to them if the tenant repeatedly goes into arrears. If a tenant has MH issues or is just bad at budgeting or low on conscientiousness, then it does them a massive favour in the end. Whatever else might happen, at least they and their children won't be evicted for non-payment of rent.

OMG what a situation! OP, get in touch with the new landlord and tell him what has happened. This can actually happen quite easily if you don't keep track of your bank account.

@missb10 OMG RTFT.

It's a difficulty but I am on side of people having personal responsibility. The whole point of UC was to give people their benefits in a way they'd learn to budget so (when they'd get a job) they'd be able to manage money when it wasn't managed for them by the state paying their rent, for instance. We've been here before. Back in 1980, when my father left, my mother's benefits were paid net of rent as that was paid direct to the Council. After a while, Govt decided to pay rent to benefit claimant with their other money and require them to pay Council. It was again an attempt to get benefit claimants to start acting in a responsible manner. What did my mother do? She knowingly spent the rent money on whatever she wanted (not on us kids) and we ended up in rent arrears. I had to take over (aged 15) to sort the situation out. Some time later, Govt reversed the policy and started to pay benefits net of rent again. Then UC came in, re-reversing the policy and putting responsibility back on benefit claimant so they'd learn to budget. I also worked in a High St bank dealing with all sorts of customers. I've seen all this from very many angles. On balance, I don't think in most circumstances benefit claimants are helped in the long run by being excused from personal responsibility. It just creates a dependency culture which is not good for the benefit claimant.