Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Self employed and renters have been completey shafted.

165 replies

Greysparkles · 20/03/2020 17:23

Just that really.

OP posts:
itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 20/03/2020 18:51

What did you want the government to do?

The advice for self employed always used to be to have several months of income saved in the event of rises and falls in income?

Thescrewinthetuna · 20/03/2020 18:53

The advice for self employed always used to be to have several months of income saved in the event of rises and falls in income?

This isn’t a fall in income. Many people have gone to zero. Absolutely nothing. Within the space of a week. Anything saved won’t last long with rent being so high.

Mhijo · 20/03/2020 18:55

Not everyone has the option to save several months money

janelmac · 20/03/2020 18:56

Itwasalovely you're so naive. I have savings, but it won't be enough and I'll be lucky to get any work again this year. I have critical illness insurance which is expensive because that is what I thought might be the rainy day. I could never have predicted this.

Goawayquickly · 20/03/2020 18:56

The advice to have six months salary saved has always applied to everyone and in an ideal world we all would. Many people SE or salaried have struggled to get by for years.

I’m stuffed too.

shreddednips · 20/03/2020 18:56

Yes, that's very good advice in theory. Completely impossible if you're self employed because that's the only real option in your sector and you're only earning enough to just about get by anyway. We pay tax and NI just like employed people do. Why are we not entitled to be supported as well? And if we had savings, I don't think we would be entitled to ANYTHING would we? Wouldn't it prevent us from entitlement to UC etc?

midgebabe · 20/03/2020 18:57

Getting knocked down for a bus, getting cancer, those sort of things self employed people should have been prepared for . They are all total loss of income for a long period.

In some cases, some people won't have earned enough to be able t9 do that. In many cases people have not done that just because they didn't prioritise saving.

shreddednips · 20/03/2020 18:58

And in answer to what I would like the government to do, I would like to be treated equally to the employed given that I pay my taxes. If they are deserving of support in these completely unprecedented circumstances, why not us?

Goawayquickly · 20/03/2020 18:59

Getting knocked down for a bus, getting cancer, those sort of things self employed people should have been prepared for . They are all total loss of income for a long period

In some cases, some people won't have earned enough to be able t9 do that. In many cases people have not done that just because they didn't prioritise saving

Exactly the same for salaried people. Except they can get 80% of their salary paid.

BarbedBloom · 20/03/2020 19:02

@youcantellthem I think a fair few landlords are like this unfortunately. We may end up evicted later in the year though as we will struggle to pay back any arrears and then we cannot get anywhere else as no deposit and will be in arrears.

I am disabled and there is a 10 year wait for a council house here. This is going to leave a lot of people in ruin

PieceOfMaria · 20/03/2020 19:04

I am really frightened now. Landlord already said he expects rent in full or we will be evicted as soon as possible

I understand that it’s scary but honestly, I don’t think that is going to happen in a hurry. The hoops he’d have to jump through to evict you, not to mention the expense of it right now are not worth the bother if you are a good tenant who usually pays on time. Where else is he going to get a reliable tenant with a reliable income at the moment?

KisforKoala · 20/03/2020 19:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OwnedbyOdessa · 20/03/2020 19:09

@itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted

Regardless if people have savings or not, your comment is not helpful and also we DO NOT know when this virus is coming to an end, so your comment is unhelpful and as my mother says if you have nothing nice or of value, keep it in!

Husband is a self employed limited company with 1 staff member, so I'm not sure what that means for him. He pays the higher tax bracket and also pays VAT and corporation tax - so he has completely been f*ed by the chancellor today. I took redundancy last month and I'm recently self employed and I have plowed money in to my new business from being employed for the past 14years at a company. It is very daunting and I'm just hoping a review happens on Monday, as it is grossly unfair.

MereDintofPandiculation · 20/03/2020 19:10

What about all those have been laid off? They don't get anything. £29 a day for five days, and then that's it.

KisforKoala · 20/03/2020 19:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PeterWeg · 20/03/2020 19:11

"Landlord already said he expects rent in full or we will be evicted as soon as possible"
That will be six months if not longer. The courts are closed for a start, massive backlog if they would even consider allowing eviction.

OwnedbyOdessa · 20/03/2020 19:11

@KisforKoala how about every household is given 2500 instead? A new company like mine wouldn't be able to give last years earnings due to not having worked a tax year yet. I really was hoping for some clarification today 😕

OwnedbyOdessa · 20/03/2020 19:13

@KisforKoala honestly her comment is so patronising. Hoping for some light and luck come Monday 🤞

feellikeanalien · 20/03/2020 19:14

Haven't actually heard the proposals other than on here. Does that mean that all the self-employed who apply for UC will now have to do the 35 hour a week job search and all the other stuff that goes with it?

Will they be sanctioned if they are too ill to work or if they have to self-isolate?

This really raises more questions than it answers.

Bottom line is we're fucked. DP is self employed, we rent and DD has SN.

I've had dealings with the DWP before and I can't think of anything worse in this situation.

BarbedBloom · 20/03/2020 19:14

@PieceOfMaria Hopefully. It has just been a horrible few months and am struggling today with landlord being so unpleasant and wondering where we will all be in a few months. Plus having two high risk factors for covid. I think I just need to switch off for a bit.

Thescrewinthetuna · 20/03/2020 19:16

Does that mean that all the self-employed who apply for UC will now have to do the 35 hour a week job search and all the other stuff that goes with it?

Will they be sanctioned if they are too ill to work or if they have to self-isolate?

Yes. Which is just what you need at the same time thousands of other have lost their jobs and livelihoods ughhhh

Nammech111 · 20/03/2020 19:17

My partner is self employed but working for another man if that makes sense. His boss basically warned him if he tries to work less hours or self isolate that he will replace him. Gobsmacked to be honest. He wants him to Carry on working even if he gets corona virus I don't understand?? , If I go into lockdown with my young dd he will have to stay somewhere else, and its heartbreaking.

If he was protected by the government for at least something!!

R1R2 · 20/03/2020 19:19

Some of the arrogance towards the self employed is fucking astounding. One things clear self employed are going to have to charge alot more in the future to cover this kind of thing since its obvious the government and society dont give two fucks.

Therollockingrogue · 20/03/2020 19:21

My rent contract is terminated if I suddenly have to switch to housing benefit. So how does that work?

Juicyfrooty · 20/03/2020 19:23

With regards to the delay in doing tax returns and paying your tax bill, DH is expecting to get a small rebate this year (we will need this desperately with how things are going) will rebates also be delayed?