Housing

[Dernhelm]

Hi…housing advice please. I’m a single mum of three young children (6, 4, 2). Middle son is SEND. I’m not working as I homeschool my middle son and registered as his full time carer. I have written some children’s books but waiting to have enough money to get them into print. Nearly three years ago my children and I had to leave family home (co-own 50/50, mortgage about £100k) due to abuse. We live with my parents in their 3-bed house. Estranged husband lives in our family home still. Court case after court case, appeals, advice from many solicitors and DA charities I’m still stuck in financial limbo. I get carers allowance, my sons DLA, child benefit and child maintenace. Not eligible for UC as not living in a house you own is classed as capital. For same reason cannot get social housing. Cannot afford to private rent (local house prices for an 3 bed approx £350k, rent £1500pcm). After nearly 3 years of exploring every avenue still stuck with my parents. Ex had said he could potentially buy me out of our house, to value of £150k. Not enough for me to buy, I cannot get a mortgage and no shared ownership places currently available (apparently market is stagnant for these). I was hoping for shared ownership as I could put down enough to be able afford the rent on it whilst being eligible for UC. Private rent looks like only option and use that pot until it runs dry. Does anyone have any advice on how I can make better use of this money to house my young family. Please only helpful comments. It’s been a rough three years and I still have hurdles to jump until I can become free of him. Thanks.

You could start to claim UC as soon as savings under 16k but agree it does seem a waste.
I would probably hold off until shared ownership picks up if that is likely to happen.
Any chance your parents or anyone else would buy with you as an investment?

If you are not working you can homeschool anywhere. Move to a cheaper area.

Check the policy with your social housing provider. If you are unable to live in your owned property due to risk of abuse from another person living there then some will let you register. You must have evidence of the DA. Have you contacted your local council’s housing service to state that you are homeless due to DA? Again, they may be able to offer support even if you are a homeowner. Your parents may need to confirm that they are asking you to leave their home to be eligible for support with them.

Thanks, yea I have been down that route, emergency housing is Bristol, and although we annoy my parents, they don’t want their grandchildren that far away. My middle son has regular paediatric care and where we are the support for him is the best in the country. My older son’s school is here, and it’s taken him so long to settle it would be an awful wrench for him to have to start again from scratch. So it has to be local to where we are now. Fellow investor did come to mind. Thanks for your comments.

Force a sale of the home you own with your ex. Go to court. If ex refuses you will win and he will have to cover your costs too.

I think I’d let him buy you out and then hang on another 18 months until your youngest starts nursery and then try to get your middle child into school (do they have an ehcp?). You can then work and get a mortgage and with £150 towards a new home your situation improves drastically.

Yes, but that’s not cheap. I was on the receiving end of that. And costs were over 50 grand
Which is fine providing this 50 grand to secure the costs against in equity in the house

Did the person who was not willing to sell have to cover the others court costs?

They did.
Out of the equity of the house because there was no other way of funding it
And if the equity hadn’t been in the house, there would’ve been no way of enforcing it
You can’t get a CJJ or a attachment of earnings order for a family court costs judgement.

Most right minded people would also be reluctant to piss away the equity from their children’s home and future inheritance on lawyers to the tune of £50,000

How old are your parents? Do they work? Do they have an income? Is their house fully paid off?

would they consider supporting you with a family mortgage or a joint borrower, sole proprietor mortgage?

I think you need to get a job asap and use the equity as a significant deposit.

could DC share a room in potential new house allowing you to have a lodger?

Thankfully, the friends I know in this position who got solicitors involved to force a sale their ex partners all caved and agreed to sell before it got to court. But I get your point it’s an expensive option and to be avoided if at all possible.

Ref " written some children's books & looking for money to print"

There are ways for A1 to write books
Print
Sell on Amazon etc
I do not think that there is much money to start

You can go to any pr8nter & get your own book printed

Whete would you live with your children if you had no parents to live with ?

It seems that your ex has no responsibility

Does your ex pay child maintenance ?
If not put in a claim immediately

Why should he live in the home & have no responsibility & all his freedom ?

If your husband was abusive could you get an order to exclude him from the marital home and move back into it?

I think it’s called an occupation order.

Have you had the family hi.e valued - if nit, you should.
Do you receive maintenance from ex?
You could really benefit from working so that you could get a mortgage ... if at all possible.

If the house is subject to Court Action then Universal Credit should disregard the value and you should get UC

Have you tried to claim UC…? If the house is a marital asset subject to divorce proceedings there’s scope for it to be disregarded as Capital.