Definitely agree they need to speak to CAB if they haven't already done so. Have they actually sold their house or just put it up for sale? It could take months to sell meanwhile their debts could be going up. Would it be so bad for them to move in with your mother - would she also be able to provide care for your daughter to enable her husband to work? They could rent out the property until they get back on their feet again. It would be hard for all concerned but maybe better than the alternatives. Starting a business has a lot of pitfalls and is often not the way forward when you have financial problems as you need a good credit rating. There are also the tax implications to take into account as these days HMRC often wants tax upfront on anticipated profits. I hope you all find a solution - it's very worrying seeing your family in such straits through no fault of their own and your daughter's health will be suffering with the stress. This could well be affecting their marriage already.
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Legal, pensions and money
Financial Disaster
(36 Posts)Oh Lordy, post night shift and auto typing. England, not Dragland, sorry folks ?
Ask your DD and SIL to contact www.benefitsatwork.co.uk . This site would be very helpful for them in their circumstances. I'm not sure how the system works in Dngland but my OH has a friend claiming disability benefits in Scotland, Neither he or his wife work but they have a very good lifestyle which includes being given a modern vehicle at no cost as well as myriad other benefits. They've even managed to purchase land and nuild z holiday home. I know people's circumstances are looked at individually but I'm hoping your family could get some assistance to help them get through this tough time. Getting good information is the first step and approaching CAB re their debts is excellent advice. Another good source of information is a site called MartinsMoneyExpert, or something similar. Google it and if I find the address I'll post it. Good luck.
there are local government new business agencies that can give him advice,and tell him if there are grants available or any other help.Starting a business is relatively easy ,its keeping it going thats the problem takes a lot of time and effort .He needs to speak to someone to make sure his ideas are viable BEFORE he makes a final decision.Stress wont help with his wife's condition ,whatever it is .I wish him luck with his venture and your daughter well with her health issues
Icanhandthemback, that sounds very much like the story Jim Broadbent told on Children in Need last night.
Can you get in touch with any charity that is funded by them, at least in the short term, to help them?
Your granddaughter is in need because of the misfortune that happened to her family.
CAB are very definitely the way to go regarding the debt. They will also be able to advise about benefits - there are some disability benefits that are based solely on need rather than income and are not taxable.
Are they paying for the carer? - is it via SSD? If they have no assets, and only debts, the SSD should be paying for the carer.
I agree with others who've said they need specialist advice such as CAB. Benefits is such a complex & changing issue. You mention a loan from the government - is that not a way out of the problem?
I understand the maths behind the rent v. mortgage payments but the general principle is that it would be unfair for working people to pay for non-working people to buy their own homes.
I think the citizens advice would help them to contact every company they owe money to, and offer a very small payment, regularly. Whilst on benefits, obviously, they would remain small, but at least they would all stabilise for now. They need some breathing space to work out the best way forward.
A trip to the CAB would be a good suggestion to give them. They have a great deal of expertise in dealing with debt.
Suggest they lay it all out, right down to the nitty gritty. I’m sure they would benefit from their support.
Could your son in law not get a paid job - now doesn't seem like a good time to be starting a new business with the extra stress that would bring. Maybe even part time hours and maybe you and your mum could take over caring for your daughter? To my mind selling up and paying off debts would seem the best way forward. It's not the end of the world to live in rented accommodation as long as it's secure. Are there any benefits your could claim for her disability which would not be affected by her husband working! To be fair if they have just spent regardless on their cards it's a bit much to expect the state to pay interest on their mortgage. I'm not being unsympathetic, maybe other GNs will have better ideas than I. Sorry for all your worry, it's not easy being a mother is it.
Sorry for the length of this post! My DD and SIL came to see us a couple of days ago to tell us they were 10's of thousands in debt and were selling their home to pay it off. The final straw was a letter to say that the interest paid on their mortgage by the Govt would now be a loan in future. My daughter was disabled 6 years ago (so had to give up her well paying job) but whilst hoping to work again in the future, doesn't know when that will be a possibility. My SIL was forced to give up his job to care for her and their baby daughter who is now at school. They have a PA for one hour a day to assist my DD but she still can't be left for hours a day as she often passes out.
Originally it took nearly a year to get their benefits sorted out so they lived off their credit cards so even when they got a back payment, it didn't cover anything. To be fair, they thought the disability was a short term thing so they probably weren't as careful as they might have been. Since then, they have notched up the cards and bank overdraft robbing Peter to pay Paul.
My SIL wants to start his own business to get out of the poverty trap but also needs to earn enough for paying for care for my DD and DGD so despite wanting to for the past year, he is nervous about losing all benefits and finding themselves in a worse situation.
My Mum and I have looked at ways we could help them with things but we are at a loss. Even if they rent out their house and live with us for a year, they would find it a struggle, not least because my Mum, who has more room for them, will undermine their marriage and parenting every step of the way. I am frantic for them but don't know what is the best advice to give them and I'm hampered by their sense of relief that if they sell their house, they can pay of their debts and start again albeit without enough money to buy another one. Their equity will be eaten up by housing costs if they rent which are exorbitant around here. In all honesty, it would be cheaper for the state in the long run to pay the £200 interest (which is only half the interest as my DD has aways paid the other half plus a payment for capital repayment) than £900 in rent which will only line a landlord's pockets but will be paid in full.
Has anybody got any ideas of what the best way forward is?
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