to worry about my next job and not accept going on benefits

[maidenvoyage]

Hi all, I have posted here before a long time ago (bout ds who was and still is a waste of space) and do watch mumsnet in my lunch break. Long story cut short I am finishing my contract at the end of July and friends are advising that dont worry bout getting another job and I should just claim benefits and let the social pay rent etc. Must admit even though i earn a good wage the rent here is £950.00 a month and as a sole earner (been on my own with two kids for long tine now) its crippling me. Have no social life, dont buy new clothes, dont go out etc but I want to work. I love the challenge of my job and have a personal pride in it. But in truth cant afford to work. Do get a tax credit and family allowance etc. I bring home £500 a week without the help but its not enough. If i dont look for another job and have to rely on the state I know they will not help me because I have been told that I am capable of earning a decent wage, that is fair point but they are not taking into consideration that I am paying £50.00 short of £1000.00 per month rent. For gods sake I just want to earn a good wage and support my family I dont want to live on benefits but why cant the local council house me at £400.00 rent and then i can carry on working, (not that there is anything wrong with that) please no attacks feeling low enough as it is. (rent is due on Friday and I cant meet it). I am worrying bout bills etc and struglling to cope now just want a friendly constructive chat. In these sad times where there are so many redundancies I am really worried that I wont get another job, but on the other hand think that if after paying tax and insurance all these years the goverment cannot help me maybe my friends are right. Let the landlord evict me, go on the dole and let life take me over. Sorrry feeling very sorry for myself and very tired and sick of struggling lol.

Im sure it will but without sounding greedy and i truly mean that i need to earn min of £33k to even scrape by so how will earning £8k less help me. I will give that web site a try but i have to put in what i am curently earning so its going to say "f off u greedy woman lol" Im just a bit stressed and not looking forward to the phone call morro night. I just get fed up with hearing how so and so's daughter who had a baby and never worked "just moved into a beautiful house up the road and her rent in £10.00 per week". Sorry sounding bitter and twisted and im not lol x

would love to work part time always done 40+ hours but love every min of it. Now i have to think of dd and finish bringing her up by hook or by crook

Try putting theoretical info into the site, it really does give almost spot on estimates.

I've always worked but have just handed in my notice and will look for a minimum wage job. Got fed up of fighting the system, I'll have a better income on benefits or doing a poorly paid job than I had with my very well paid job. It is a ridiculous system and it makes me sad that I've had to give up a job I love because of it.

if you're earning £25K you don't qualify for working tax credits. you may qualify for increased child tax credit for childcare. i don't know, but it would appear unlikely you'd get housing benefit and definitely not council tax benefit.

i understand where you are coming from POTC.

we put an app in for housing - it's all HA here. LOL.

they offered us this starting on the 2nd floor maisonette in a block so bad obviously the homeless are turning it down because 7 months on it's still vacant.

i told the housing officer, 'sorry, this is too high up for a family with 3 children 5 and under' (it had two balconies) and she said, 'oh, but your kids won't be young so long.'

i said, 'have you ever lived in a second-floor flat with little kids? because i can assure you, it's shite.'

if you're earning £25K you don't qualify for working tax credits. you may qualify for increased child tax credit for childcare. i don't know, but it would appear unlikely you'd get housing benefit and definitely not council tax benefit.

i understand where you are coming from POTC.

we put an app in for housing - it's all HA here. LOL.

they offered us this starting on the 2nd floor maisonette in a block so bad obviously the homeless are turning it down because 7 months on it's still vacant.

i told the housing officer, 'sorry, this is too high up for a family with 3 children 5 and under' (it had two balconies) and she said, 'oh, but your kids won't be young so long.'

i said, 'have you ever lived in a second-floor flat with little kids? because i can assure you, it's shite.'

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'Many people would be better off on benefits POTC but most of us struggle on to show our kids that working hard and providing for your family is the right way to do things.'

Thanks for that, MissSunny. We do what we can.

I have no probs with people on benefits, especially lone parents (I have big probs with parents who swan off to leave their children at the mercy of the state), but it can be frustrating at times, particularly when it comes to housing and not just because it's so dear when you rent privately but also the insecurity of private renting.

I try to sell it as 'life as an adventure' to my children but they have an American passport, too, and really I'm under no illusions that with their looks and accents they will fuck right off from here and probably have a much better standard of living there than we can ever give them here.

I dont want to go part time in some poxy job that im over qualified for. Like i said i love what i do and im blinkin good at it, but with the recession they are now offering 25k for what is a 30k + job so what am i meant to do. My contract finishes in four weeks, have had agencies contact me with a much lower wage and i guess i have to accept it and then who knows what. FFS i want to carry on working i truly do, would hate to sit at home and that is not a reflection on anyone else its just the way that i am. Have never been a stay at home mum and think my kids are quite independent from it, (they can cook, clean etc). but at the end of the day what choice have i but to try and work the system like everyone else. God my mother would turn in her grave x

MissSunny I find your comments extremely offensive.

I have worked my arse off for 6 years as a lone parent because I wanted to show my children what I believe to be the 'right' way and not live off benefits despite knowing I would be better off that way.

Last year I fought with Social Services when they tried to insist I quit work.

At the start of this year I went back on to medication I haven't needed for 8 years to enable me to carry on working.

I have now reached a point where I am paying to work. By the time I pay for travel to work, childcare, and all other bills I have much less than if I didn't work.

For my own sanity and health, and the wellbeing of my children I just can't keep on like this. It is not a choice I have made lightly and it really is one I wish I hadn't had to make at all. I would like nothing more than to continue in my well paid job that I love but I would be destroying my family to do it. NOTHING, even principles I had previously held as very important, is worth that.

And I haven't actually said I would be on benefits, I said I would be taking a poorly paid job. This means I can work closer to home and will not be penalised from the tax credits system (which I know some see as a benefit but as a lone parent there is f-all way of working without it, and you don't get wtc if you don't work) to the tune of more than I actually earn over and above the level.

Please think before you post, I have tried very very hard to find ways to stay on in my job and it just can't work anymore. Unless of course you have a magic solution that would solve the problem of paying out more than comes in?

POTC i so agree with you, i am in the same situation, i have worked my arse of for 12 years and really enjoyed working and certainly had a sense of pride with it but have now got to the stage i simply cannot afford to work and thats it. anyone with sensible solutions please advise x

POTC, we are working poor, I can see where you are coming from.

You are not alone. You do not need to justify yourself, some of us, we know how it is.

I'm sorry you are going through this.

We have to go to letting agencies and tell them we're a working poor family and will this landlord take WTC and CTC as part of our income?

It's so damn humiliating it's not true.

And so tbh like I said I can see why people don't even friggin' bother.

My mother in the US she thinks I'm making all this up. She doesn't get it. She thinks if you work the streets should be paved with gold.

Hello?! Is anyone home?

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I meant nothing by it, except that we are a working poor family and, later on today, I will have to go round phoning, 'My husband is a working man, but we have still partial housing benefit. Our tenancy comes to an end at end September . . .'

'Working parents should be given more support and access to affordable housing.'

Goodness, don't I know!?

Oh, don't I know?

I have put it all off. I stay up till hours like this, I cry tears as salty as the sea loch just metres away from here. I have nowhere to confess it or even say it but for here. My own mother blames me for it - doesn't get it, doesn't want to, oh, who cares not it's a moot point?

I cannot sleep for this. If I want to sleep I've to tranq myself, it's that bad.

What are we to do? Oh, Gott, wot?

We've no place to live ourselves in just three months.

I've every sympathy with the OP, believe you me.

I could cry a thousand lochs for the shame of it, I could. But it would make no difference so it would.

Good grief, where to go? I don't tell her, 'Woman, when you die I will have no choice but to sell the lot just to help keep the wolf from the door, WHY do you continue to make me feel bad?'

But ah, feck it!

Like I said, it's a moot point.

I'd rather starve or sell my voice on some line (I'm no longer young enough or pretty enough to sell myself or I'd have no qualms about that) for what are our needs.

She doesn't get it and never will.

I've booked a storage unit for 1 September and a holiday caravan for 1 October, so as to not force my beloved landlord to go through formal process in order for us to present as homeless.

And she still expects me to stump up the £200 for all their British passports - 4 of them, 3 child and 1 adult - to go and see them and they'll pay.

I don't need a fucking holiday, lady! I need help with housing them!

Sorry, folks, I should be away from here. It's too emotional and I am crying for it now and will not sleep for it again.

Just know, maiden, you're not alone. That's all.

I'll not be away to my sleep till at least 3, same as last night, for now the date grows closer it's all the worst for me.

You feel you let them down, I know. I do, too.

Maidenvoyage.
You can claim housing benefit and income support if your children are young enough.
You will get enough to support you and pay the rent, but there won't be much extra.

It is doable.

I've done it for almost 8 years.

It is crap that they don't give enough help if you are working, but you won't have to move out of your home, and you will be able to keep your children so long as you budget.

Good Luck

maidenvoyage, it's worth looking around for other rentals, prices are seriously falling. It might also be worth using that as ammo to negotiate the rent down on the place you're in; the landlord's unlikely to want the hassle of a new tenant with a potential void before they arrive.

Well you will get your rent paid - so what's the real problem? Think yourself lucky you don't have a mortgage. You would get nothing then. Sorry sore point.

Coolma, Dss will pay the interest on your mortgage. Change it to interest only and they will pay it as long as it is deemed reasonable. Thats what I had to do last year.
And OP, I used to be a lettings neg before the kids. You must be 3 full months in arrears before you can be evicted. Its not nice, but even if you dont pay for 3 months, get the court papers through, then pay £100. Suddenly you are no longer 3 months in arrears and it gets thrown out of court. Check your tenancy agreement, as long as you aren't on a fixed term (i.e it finishes on such a date), and its a rolling contract, you can get away with this for AGES. Albeit a shitty landlord on your back (quite rightly I guess), but you wont be homeless. I know thats really shite, but hopefully it will put your mind at rest that you have longer than you thought to get something else sorted.

Oh forgot to say, and if the landlord turns up on your doorstep, you can call the police and get him removed for harrassment . Goes miles in court that bit.
(sorry if Im giving away secrets to screw over LL's but I feel sorry for the OP)

Maidenvoyage
are you sure you aren't entitled to any HB or CT benefit? Although your income is quite high. It looks like you may have to move to a smaller or cheaper flat.

Expat - do you have nobody who could stand guarantor for you? That's what we had to do as DH wasn't working and I'm on maternity leave. I went to my local authority housing dept and they explained their scheme for helping people into private rental, and they had a list of letting agents who would accept HB and/or their deposit guarantee scheme. BUT we missed out on their help because the landlord hadn't served us notice - it was a verbal (friendly) agreement so technically we could have stayed another two months until he served notice, so make sure you get notice in writing from the landlord, then get to the council asap. I know you are in scotland so it's different but worth looking into?

I'm really sorry for you - we are in the same situation but thankfully I'm going back to work in 4 weeks that should take the wolf from the door. Alternatively, could you get a pt job for the purpose of finding a flat? I don't know how small your children are so it might be impossible - but if you were working , even if you were paying childcare and lost HB so no better off financially, letting agents would look more favourably on you. It's insane but there it is.

Oh we're ok now cos I got a job, but when i was out of work and we were basiclally living on half a salary they wouldn't even discuss it for six months. I know we chose to buy a house but I do get really angry that rent is automatically (mostly) paid straight away, and, yet we're penalised for trying.. I hope I'm not offending anyone but it seems unfair.

and coolma - she'll only get all of her rent paid if the LHA that she's entitled to (based on number of bedrooms she needs) is £225 (roughly) a week. Otherwise she'll have to top up.