Housing situation. Feeling really low.

[DancinUnderNeonLights]

Hello. Is anybody about tonight? I could do with a friend.

I posted previously about a situation with my new letting agents & them not taking my ex off the tenancy. (This still isn't resolved)

Anyway, today they sent me a letter stating that the rent will go up by £300 a month.

I cannot afford this.

I contacted the council (online, it says that they can negotiate with landlords, but all they actually said was to make a council house application & go away, really)

I did the council housing application.
I also applied for the crisis & resilience fund (I had this previously & it just ran out)
They sent me an email stating that I'm spending more than I was back in April & why is this, & that I have more CC debt than I did in April, & why is this. So I don't think that this will be successful this time.

What else can I do?

I'm not working (I get LCWRA) but I'm trying to find a job.

I struggle really badly with anxiety (As well as having other stressful situations going on in my life right now)

So I feel like this doesn't look like I've done 'much' but it took a lot of mental strength to do what I've done today.

I was trying to find a friend who I could go & sit with today, in my contacts, but I didn't want to burden anybody in the end. So I thought that I'd ask on here tonight.

Whats the LHA element threshold for a single occupancy property for your area? Ie will UC go up to cover some of the increase?

Are you using the UC new benefit for children's lunches at school that came in in September?

You havent listed the CC payment. How much is the minimum payment and the interest?
If you can freeze the card with the debt company it will stop the interest, lower payments and balance will start to come down. You could then maybe put some away each month to keep for vets from what you were trying to pay off CC previously? Ie the difference. If you max out the CC and cannot afford the repayments you wont be able to use it anyway

Yellowcajestand I didn't have anything on the CC until December. I used it during Covid lockdown to pay for the emergency dentist then I paid it off & kept it clear for emergencies. I used to be so good with money. Not that it matters now.

It's £220 a month that I'm paying off.
That still doesn't cover how much I'm short each month.

They get the 'free' lunches at school but I top it up with the £50.

It's £600 LHA for a single person & I get that now, so they won't give me a penny more & the rent is going up to £1050 (2 bedroom)

I do have the debt company helping me who will get the CC frozen etc if I say the word. They backed off whilst I'm applying for PIP & the council grant.

OP as I'm sure you're well aware, there are no easy solutions. But you've asked what you can do, so I'll list them anyway, in case there's something you haven't thought of.
This has been done in a practical way largely with emotion stripped out of it. No, I'm not heartless and yes, I do care - but me caring isn't going to solve anything for you, practical steps might.

You can't afford the cat. It's that simple. It's an awful situation and I'm sorry. Yes, I do realise the cat can't be rehomed and will need to be PTS. But at this moment in time you're choosing between food for yourself or food/litter and vet bills for the cat. If you starve to death, the cat dies anyway. If you end up homeless, the cat has to go too. So you've no option there.

The phone plan needs cutting or the home broadband. You can't afford both. If you've got internet at home you don't need data on your phone, you can use WiFi. If you've got significant data on your phone you don't need home broadband. So one has to go. Cheaper text/calls only phone plans are available. Plenty of people live without home internet. You're going to have to choose.

TV licence has to go. You can't afford it. Get books from the library for free so you're not bored. Or sell the TV and get a portable dvd player second hand and pick them up for 5/£1 from the charity shops as and when you can spare the money.

Whatever you're spending on food and toiletries (you don't list that budget), you're going to have to cut down.

Can you get a bus pass? £50/pcm sounds a lot for local bus use.

The kid needs to be taking cheese sandwiches for lunch and drinking water from the tap from now on. That won't cost £50/pcm. Yeh, it sucks and it'll get boring and maybe they don't like cheese. It's tough luck, the alternative is they don't stay with you at all and you hand over the £10/pcm child maintenance you'd be liable for to their dad, so you can put the £49 saved towards your rent (if the child isn't staying with you there'd be no need of a parenting app either).

There are gaps in your budget, everything you've listed doesn't add up to £1440/pcm. You need to write a comprehensive budget listing every little thing by category, so you can see what to cut.

You need to see what's available to rent cheaper eg a room instead of a flat. If you end up in temporary accommodation through homelessness, that's likely to be only a room anyway and you could be stuck in it for years. So the argument of "needing" a room for DC doesn't fly, you've not got RP status by the sounds of it so DC won't be taken into account by council when housing you, DC has a home with their father. There are no words, I know, but this is where you're at. Denial will get you nowhere, acceptance and practicalities are your only option now. Maybe if you don't have such high utilities or maybe not having to pay CT and if your rent is entirely covered by the UC housing allowance, then if you find a private rental room that'll accept it maybe you can afford to keep the cat 🤷

Whether you decide to look for somewhere cheaper or not, you should still apply to the council. You'll be entitled to a one bedroom place, as a single person without dependants in your household. I don't know what personal possessions you own, but if it's a lot you may as well start selling/decluttering now, because if you get a room in a hostel or B&B for temporary accommodation, you're not going to have room for most of it and you sound like you won't be able to afford a storage unit. Stay put until eviction (not until the eviction date, let them go to court for bailiffs to evict you, else the council won't help and you'll be on the streets).
Don't pay the higher rent if you can't afford it during the eviction process. I think you're supposed to pay the usual amount of rent you've been paying, officially, but I've known people who immediately pay absolutely nothing upon being given eviction notices and nothing much happens to them. Maybe a tanked credit rating, I'm not sure. My advice is to look into potential consequences and weigh up whether being a good citizen is what's best for YOU, in this regard. You can't afford to "be nice" about things at the moment, you need to be ruthless. Your life is going down the toilet, you don't need to feel sorry for or so what's best for, anyone except yourself.

Completely forget about the ex's name on the rental contract. This is not actually a problem for you. It's a potential problem for your ex. If you don't pay rent and they've signed a tenancy, they could be chased for the rent and may legally be liable for it. This is not your problem so ignore it, it's for your ex to sort out themselves. Ditto the new tenancy. If the landlord are in a situation where your tenancy is null and void they'll have a hard time evicting you, so don't worry about it being incorrect. Technically you need a new tenancy because you can't just "take someone's name off", the tenancy has to be ended and a new one issued in a single name. They've just messed it up, that's all. I wouldn't sign the new tenancy agreement, especially if it also specifies the rent increase from the same date (you don't want to be legally liable for it because you can't pay it), but if they force you to then don't worry about the extra name on it, it's their error and they can deal with the consequences of that.

Are you eligible for PIP, if you're incontinent and have anxiety bad enough you're on LCWRA?

Are you claiming all the help you can get for utilities, especially water if you're incontinent? Contact the companies to check.

Are you claiming CT reduction for low income and single adult discount? You should get both.

The knee-jerk reaction to go get a job is an emotional response, not a practical perspective. Assuming you haven't been doing benefit fraud all this time and you've been correctly judged as unfit for work - your dire financial circumstances don't change that.
If you are getting additional help with utilities or extra grants etc, you could lose all that if you lose your benefits, so may be worse off or no better off. I'm not saying people shouldn't work if they can, but if you're genuinely unfit for work and would only be doing it to save being homeless, then there's no point ending up in a worse financial situation than you are now.
You'd also be in a situation where the work is probably going to make you even more unwell than you already are. Then you'd have so much time off sick you'd lose your job anyway.
You'd be in even more debt then, since SSP is way less than UC. Depending on how long you'd worked for the company when you went off sick, you'd be on SSP for upto 6 months, I think, before they can get rid of you for being medically unfit to do the job.
So I'm not sure getting a job is the solution you think it is. You need to properly weigh it up and consider whether it's really realistic.

There's nothing much more I can say except good luck and I hope things improve for you soon 💐

If your rental is a mess and falling apart you have a good case for the tribunal. It will cost you £47 but you can get that waived if on certain benefits. You may be able to negotiate with your LL just on the basis of involving a tribunal as most LLs really dont want to be bothered with all that paperwork.

The fact is that the market rate for your area would be a newly refurbished property of similar type. If you have been living there some time and the place has got shabby and tired with no modernisation from the LL they cant just extort market rent. The tribunal cannot raise the rent by more than the £300 the LL is asking for and may even reduce it. The form the LL sent you will have details of how to contact the tribunal but beware there is a strict time line. If your rental is in a block or part of a portfolio you could possibly get other tenants together and make a pressure group. That would create a lot of work for the LL.

I helped a relative negotiate a rent rise down by 50% by threatening to go to the tribunal and citing the state of the property which has not been decorated or refurbished for many years. The LL backed off and settled. That more or less ltes them into very low rent increases going forward. The agent in my relative's case has made massive administrative errors. The messages we sent hinted at this and the possibility that these issues could be actioned with the relevant authorities at any time. That probably scared the shits out of the agent.

Rustfinch I'm not getting rid of my cat unless I have to due to housing (very real option, I know)

The phone is £10 a month. I need some kind of internet for UC if nothing else. Multiple times a day sometimes there is a note in my diary that I have to log on & read.

We have a dvd player & the TV was £50 from BHF. I have hardly any posetions.

I have cut down food as much as I can, toiletries is a fair bit but I need pads etc but it's all from Aldi so as cheap as I can get it.

The bus is £4 for a return to town for me & £10 for a family ticket when we all go. I was declined for a disability bus pass.

I'm not going to never see my children again & also never be told anything about them ever again, as if they never existed. You are only suggesting that because I'm poor.

They do take a packed lunch on days when they are with me but I can't make their dad give them packed lunch.

I'm looking for a 1 bedroom. I wasn't saying that I need the 2nd bedroom, I was answering people about extra benefits & saying that SS wrote me a letter stating that I need 2 bedrooms & UC ignored it. I'm looking for a 1 bedroom.

I'm not in denial, I was only told about the rent today.

The water is £30 on the light plan which is for people with disabilities.

CTax is £10 I'm getting the deduction.

I've not been committing befit fraud, thank you.

I'm not sure why you are insinuating that I'm lying about my spending. As you point out, I don't list food there & are you sure there are gaps once I've paid the CC bill?

I'm looking for, What's called on here a unicorn job which is something from home & I've been looking for a couple of months, it's not a knee jerk reaction today. You are allowed to earn some before deductions & I'm having no luck there anyway. Obviously saying 'I need a job' doesn't magic one up!

Thank you Friendlygingercat Yes I've lived here 15 years & there's been no new carpets/windows/nothing in the bathroom or kitchen but the builder painted the bathroom & kitchen & he's slapped random blobs of filler over the subsidence cracks all around the walls, so these look great as they are bright White on Cream painted walls.

These properties that they sent me have new floors & (what looks like) new windows & are freshly painted.

Thank you everybody for all of your help. It's still all feeling 'massive' but I'm glad that I've got things out on here. I will look into things some more tomorrow.

No need for the defensiveness. You asked for solutions, I gave you some to think about. I don't care whether you like them or not, your situation has nothing to do with me and doesn't affect me in any way. I didn't need, or have any desire for, justifications from you, just take what's helpful and leave what isn't 🤷.

I haven't accused you of lying, bizarre that you'd read that into my comment about budgeting advice.

Nor have I accused you of fraud, I've written from the perspective that you're not committing fraud (which you'd see if you'd actually read my bloody post instead of jumping down my throat!) and recommended you think things through carefully. (Because, in the real world, your unicorn job is unlikely to come up by February).

So I'll put your snarky attitude down to your fragile emotions, but if you want help, don't jump on people who try to give it!

I think you need to reapply for PIP but get help from CAB to fill in the form. If your mental health is bad and you can't walk far you might get more points this time around. You may not have given enough details on the original form. I'm glad you've got your kitty for companionship.

If you need a job many councils have programmes like connect to work where they help get people a job especially those that have barriers like anxiety. It’s also on the gov website if you google it as it’s a DWP funded programme working with councils

Speak to your GP for a referral to the community bladder and bowel team. You may be able to get pads on prescription from the NHS.

caringcarer Thank you. I feel like my cats all that I've got left
Yes I'll definitely give it a try, thank you. I struggled with how to word things about my feet last time & I'm worried about that this time so I'll see if CAB can help me. I had an in person interview last time & it was like 'Well you can walk, because you walked into this room, so that's your feet. Now onto the next'.

Thank you QueenofDestruction I will have a look. There was one working for our local council that's specifically for those who have been out of the workplace a while & you didn't need experience, it was 6 months paid work then obviously you have it to put on your CV etc. I was really exited about that, but then right at the end it noted all of these qualifications that were needed, that I don't have.

Thank you. Kevinthesnipe This was a simple 'No' when I asked them before.

I was actually put on the LCWRA solely because of my continence, it was nice for people to actually listen to how it affects me. It was a phone interview & he said 'I know that you also have mentioned problems with walking & your MH but I think this is enough as it is' he went & spoke to his manager & came back & said that it was done.

Just wanted to pop my head in with sympathy about PIP and incontinence. I remember reading an interview with a doctor who was a PIP assessor and him saying that he was really angry that the PIP process didn’t make any allowance for what incontinence does to peoples lives. I suffer from it a bit myself (though in my case HRT actually helped) and my mum and aunt had it and people just don’t get what an impact it has. My late Dh also had to apply for ESA which is like PIP and I swear the process is part of what killed him.

I hope things look a bit better this morning. I hope you find work - god knows there’s plenty of it that needs doing, and I know eg people who work for council call centres who work fully from home. And though I do t know anything about PDSA maybe they could help with animal things?

Thank you PermanentTemporary There's very little help for day to day illness/vets bills for pets. There's the RSPCA animal welfare clinic for people on benefits which I do take my cat to sometimes but I have to weigh that up as it's £14 in taxis & I can walk to the other one. They've also increased their 'See a vet' fee from £10 to £30.

I can get a little help from the bluecross if he needs another 'OP but nothing day to day.

Thank you for your words about the incontinence. Appreciate it. I was reading an old thread on here & somebody said something like 'So you pee a bit & put a pad on, I don't see why that affects you so much, it's hardly a bit deal'. And that's the attitude.

I'm feeling really stressed & like I don't know where to start today!

I'm so sorry about you DH.
It's horrendous the stress this puts on people, when they least need the stress. So unfair

Hi OP. Just wanted to check that the debt company helping you isn’t charging you anything for their help? There are some unscrupulous companies out there!
If you contact the credit card company and explain the situation (they may ask for your budget live you’ve listed), they may be able to freeze the interest or negotiate a lower monthly repayment. Check out moneysavingexpert - usually some good advice on there. £300 in rent seems like a massive jump!

Thank you iamnotalemon They aren't. It's Anglia Care Trust, they've helped me with things before but this time it's to do with debt.

I feel like the days are numbered until I have to give up the CC... There's something coming up for my cat that I'm trying to hold onto it for but after that I think I'll have to admit defeat!

It is huge & although I felt like a rent increase was looming, I never expected this much of a jump.

Well that’s something at least! It sounds like even half a payment is still a lot for you at the moment.

I would recommend downloading the following guide and also perhaps contacting a specialised debt charity like StepChange. I am pretty sure this would count as a debt crisis and you may be able to reduce your repayments even further (even if this is for a few months). It might affect your credit rating though:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/mental-health-guide/

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan/

Hope these help.

iamnotalemon Yes, I was lucky with my previous letting agents as they'd say 'The landlord has proposed £100 but we can do £50 it's that's easier?'

But that was face to face & not just a letter stating 'You will pay £300 extra' (obviously it's not worded like that but it may as well be)

Currently on hold to CAB for 34 minutes.

Apologies, I wasn’t clear. I meant your credit card repayment.
I would call StepChange and see what they say. They are a debt charity so will be able to give proper debt related advice.

Also have a look at shelter re housing advice.

Op we are trying to help. I asked you to list income/outgoings but you didnt list the credit card, approx food costs, approx monthly vet costs or upcoming bills you know will happen. If you do that we can offer more practical advice. I wouldnt be without my dog so I know how much you will sacrifice food over a pet.

It may be possible to get the council to write to your landlord and that they ask your landlord to moderate the rent increase and keep you on, and that you have applied for council housing, rather than making you homeless, however if they do give you a section 8 because you can’t afford the rent increase, the council will try and help, because they won’t want another emergency housing situation.
.

CombatBarbie I was trying to respond as well? I said the CC payment on another post, I don't know of any other bills coming out. The vet bills are as I've said. But I never know until the day if he's going to be unwell again so it might be more. Food is probably £200.

So I'm not sure what else I can say with regards to finances?

I was posting asking for advice on the housing situation specifically as I just don't have enough coming in right now so anything that I cut like my £10 phone isn't going to make a difference or enough to cover the extra £300.

Thank you WizdomE
Thank you iamnotalemon

Hi
just posting to give abit of advice regarding incontance, i have a family member with incontinance issues and its very debilitating, she cannot walk far or go on long bus journeys its awful.
Please see your gp regarding a referrel for the bowel and bladder clinic to see if you can get free pads.
Definetly look into pip and get help with the forms from Citizens Advice etc.

Also for a long time everyone just kept telling my relative to get good quality pads however no pad or adult pullup fully works for her she still leaks through, nobody took her seriously for a long time, the pip doctor was actually very sympathetic when she had her assesment over the phone.

Please dont give up and retry the pip route as it isnt just pads, its water, washing and laundry products that all add up X

Thank you for this, Foodie99 that's a kind response.

I've heard back from the Crisis & resilience fund, they are going to cover the rent as it is until February, so that's something.

They said that it's another department that may be able to help me with a tumble dryer so I'll contact them.

@DancinUnderNeonLights there are many charities which help people who have ever worked in their trade, with regular or occasional grants and with the purchase of white goods. It is worth googling the name of any jobs you have had and ‘charity’ to see if there is anything available.

It is also worth looking to see if there are any Almshouses in your area that you would be eligible for