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Divorce/separation

Private renting / having a panic

12 replies

BlueJellie · 20/06/2012 21:00

Me and my husband have been seperated for 6 months now. I work part time, he earns a substantial wage we have not been entitled to benefits previously.
I have had immense trouble finding a place for me and my son to live, most places not interested due to me working part time, I will be claiming benefits once I am out the house but its getting out that has been the problem.
Finally I found a place that were happy to have me (it is through an agent) on the onus that my STBXH would be guarantor. He has agreed on the basis he wants me out asap.

However, they want from both of us - employer and personal references, 6 months worth of bank statements and wage slips, and will be doing a credit check.

I am really worried as my credit is awful. Since we have seperated I have been paying childcare out of my part time wages so I could go to work & keep my job with no help from
husband & no benefits. It has been a deduction from my salary paid directly to my childminder. Therefore my bank statements will show less than my actual wage, they will also show exactly how f**ked up my money has been the past period, I'm talking payday loans etc!

Once I am out i won't even be paying childcare as I am moving back by my family who will be providing care until I find another childminder (not decided if I need this yet), I would have moved in with them previously they just havent had the room to accomodate me. And i will be able to get tax credits sorted etc & generally get back on my feet.

Will my credit/financial situation currently affect the outcome of this check or will it not matter due to my ex being guarantor? If yes then how the hell will I get out of this house?

Have already tried with council, list is 2 years and up so private is my only option at the moment.

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MyLittleMiracles · 20/06/2012 21:42

Just thought have you contacted shelter? They can help with these things.

And if you want a positive story, here is mine,
I left my ex over 7 months ago, i moved miles away, the local council would not help, despite my mum having lived in the borough all her life and my grandmothers all hers, so i put an advert on gumtree, i waited a while, still pursuing the council with appeals etc, then one saturday night i got an email from gumtree and there was a landlord who was more than happy to take a single mum on benefits on, my landlord wanted someone who would appreciate the property and look after it. I had nothing when i moved, and now thanks to him and his partner i have everything i could possibly want, i am back on my feet. I get no money from my ex and i am glad that i don't, so therefore i owe him nothing.

If this falls through with the letting agents do go via local papers and gunmtree, honestly i put an ad on there and got somewhere, which someone on here suggested i do, i should also add i still await a final decision from the council, but moved in here 2 and a half months ago. It is stressful right now, but its so worth it, and to be honest the fact that i done all the legwork myself (though got plenty of advice on here and from shelter) makes me feel it was so worth it. My landlord didnt want rent in advance or a deposit either. I was VERY VERY lucky.

I wish you all the best of luck, and i dont know if it did help me, but every time i found a penny, i picked it up and made the same wish, somewhere safe for me and my son to live, and i prayed to all those who i have lost. I dont know if it helped or not, but i would do it anyway, cos well i believe i had a guardian angel or two helping me.

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MyLittleMiracles · 20/06/2012 21:46

I should also add my landlord didnt do a credit check, cos it would have shown how mucked up mine was, probably worse than yours

And if you have paid off pay day loans that actually improves your credit history, cos it shows you can reponsibly borrow money and pay it back

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BlueJellie · 20/06/2012 23:25

Thanks MLM, no i hadn't thought of Shelter I didnt think it would apply to me as I am not technically homeless, just in a hella awkward living situation. I have considered moving back in with parents and just bunking in their front room while I sort benefits out but this is last resort only as I don't want to uproot my little boy twice.
I am going to Civic Centre for advice should I fail this check. I am going to send a letter with the documents they have requested hopefully they will consider my position.
Have looked on Gumtree and they have all been more bedrooms than I require, though it didn't occur to me to post a wanted on there - Thank you I will try this Smile

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butterflybee · 21/06/2012 12:03

You can apply for seperate benefits in the same house if you are living seperately. Technically, this means no cleaning / cooking / laundry / sleeping together, but when I called all I talked about was seperate bedrooms. They back dated 3 months too.

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MyLittleMiracles · 23/06/2012 18:34

How is it all going?

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RandomMess · 23/06/2012 18:36

You can claim benefits whilst still sharing a house providing you are living seperately in it. So don't do his washing, cooking, shopping etc and you can claim CTC etc

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BlueJellie · 30/06/2012 19:19

hi guys thanks for the advice. I am still waiting to hear from letting agents, all being well i get the keys next week but it doesnt sound like they have even done te checks yet.
I am going to ring about the Child Tax Credit on Monday and see what they say regarding the seperate bedrooms, worst they can say is no I guess Blush

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BlueJellie · 02/07/2012 19:14

Well I called today, the man I spoke to Victor was quite stern and insistent that even though we are in seperate bedrooms, we share no bills, my name is not on mortgage, i am paying childcare etc, that there was no way in hell I would be treated as a single claimant and not to call them until the day I am at my new address. I guess it depends who you get through to!

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MyLittleMiracles · 02/07/2012 19:49

Okay, if they want to play it that way, get yourself down to your local citizens advice bureau or look up the details of our nearest community law centre and they will be able to help you. The benefits will try to make it as hard as possible for you.

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RandomMess · 02/07/2012 20:17

He is wrong!!!

You need to tell him that your ex is no longer financially supporting you in anyway, that you do no household tasks for him you just happen to be stuck in the same house because you haven't be able to move out yet!

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MyLittleMiracles · 02/07/2012 20:33

Thing is they will try to fob you off, but you need to keep on at them, better still phone for a crisis loan, i did cos i had no money cos my income support although had been processed wouldnt be paid for another week, i got through to a lovely bloke, who asked reason for crisis loan and when i explained it, he left me on hold and phoned the income support and it was paid within three hours,

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MimieD · 02/07/2012 20:47

Well dear Victor is definitely wrong. I was in your situation a few months ago & got tax credits for the 2 months Stbx & I were still in the same house. Did you apply for credits yet? If not, do this ASAP as they will backdate but only by a month I believe. From day of receipt of first claim to payment took about 6 weeks. I got a letter from a claims officer asking me for all sorts of info like childcare bills, bank statements, council tax letter, utility bills; many were still in Stbx name. I just wrote a letter with all forms explaining the situation and included a copy of the court letter that showed they had received my divorce claim. It's stressful and a long wait but I got there in the end...

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