help me help my daughter

[blackietwo]

Hi, can anybody pointme in the right direction. basicly my daughters partener as left her. she is heartbroke, as well as worrying about finances. they have a mortgage the type that pays off a little of the interest each month. she as a 3 yr old and is in receipt of the tax credits , which is a joint claim. now she finds herself alone with just her income which is the minimum wage and she does 21hours. She is suppose to be speaking to tax credit people today to make the claim just for her and her child. I think she will have a reduced council tax bill now she is the only adult in the house hold. does anyboby know what or if any help she can get. I have asked her to make an appointment with citizens advice , but its not for a couple of weeks cos their busy. I'm so worried about her , she is lost and its killing me that I cant help her or know what to do. I have told her to speak to her mortgage people and let them know the situation, was that right?She didnt even have the money today to pay for school dinners I paid. her wage normally covers the mortgage and they live of the rest. he waited til she paid it last tuesday and left wednesday with the rest of the money.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):
Some advice for your daughter:

Step 1:
Contact the bank and get the direct debit to the mortgage lender stopped. (Money for food must come first. The mortgage will have to wait).

Step 2:
Contact the lender and explain that, due to a change in personal circumstances, she's currently unable to pay the full amount -and that, consequently, the direct debit has been cancelled). The lender might be prepared to accept a minimal payment for each of the next few months - or even offer a 'mortgage holiday'. (Even if the lender was to consider repossession, it would take a considerable amount of time before this could happen).

Step 3:
Ensure that the lender is aware of the address, and financial circumstances, of the former partner. Assuming that it's a joint mortgage, both of you have 'joint and several liability' to make the payments. That means that the lender can choose whether to pursue BOTH people for any debts, or just ONE of them. (i.e. if the lender is aware that the ex-partner has funds to repay the mortgage, they can pursue him alone for every penny of it, even though he's no longer living in the house).

[Buenchico]

Step 4:
Look into the amount of tax credit which should now be paid on a single-person basis:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/

Step 5:
Consider whether there's any realistic chance of actually being able to keep up the mortgage repayments. (I suspect that the answer to that will be 'No'). If it looks like the house will be repossessed, see here for valuable information:
http://england.shelte...k/get_advice/eviction

Step 6:
Thinking ahead, look into Local Housing Allowance for private renting:
http://www.direct.gov.../DoItOnline/DG_196239
(See also the relevant pages from the Shelter website, as above)

Step 7 (or possibly Step 0, right at the beginning):
Contact the local CAB, for further advice:
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/getadvice.htm
(See the bottom of that page to find the nearest office).

Finally (at the risk of sounding like Corporal Jones, from Dad's Army):
DON'T PANIC!
Simply stop paying (or seek reduced payments for) any bills which aren't IMMEDIATELY vital. Concentrate on the important things, putting food at the very top of the list.

Chris

[bimbo123456]

It is certainly worth contacting the local council if a child is involved. They may at least be able to help with alternative accomodation if it all goes belly up.