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Query about being homeless snd council tax
- Souter
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1 week 4 days ago #290638 by Souter
Query about being homeless snd council tax was created by Souter
I cannot afford my mortgage £912 per month since I retired last November. I am in arrears of over £3,000 . My solicitor has advised I do a volunteer surrender. This means I had the keys back to the building society. I have no place to stay except sleep on my brothers couch. Can anyone advise what happens to the council tax. My brother gets help with his rent and his council tax. I don’t know how this affects me. I would need to stay with him until I am offered somewhere to stay. Would I just pay the housing tax I currently pay. I have also been told by the homeless team at Glasgow City Council not to do a voluntary surrender. I do not want to help up in court as I have been told I would need to pay their fees and my own. My state pension is £1,031 and I get pension credit £19 per week. I am at my wits end. I forgot to say the property I live in has cladding which the Scottish government will pay to fix. This will take 2 to 3 years. No one will get a mortgage on the property until cladding is fixed. Any help advice or who to speak to would be greatly appreciated.
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- Chris
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1 week 3 days ago #290648 by Chris
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Chris on topic Query about being homeless snd council tax
Hi Souter,
Really sorry to read about your awful situation. I may be able to assist you with information in relation to this. You will still more than likely be expected to pay C/Tax on your current property, but it is at the discretion of your local authority as to how much, and what sort of/if any, discount that would be available to you.
As for your brothers place - it could affect him with a number of reasons - If he gets single persons discount, he will likely lose that if you're residing their. Also, if there's a gas fire in the living room, some authorities do not allow people to sleep on a sofa because of the health and safety reasons such as carbon monoxide poisoning, or a gas leak for example. Not sure if this is the same with electric fires, but I do know some authorities are funny about this sort of thing.
I think your best bet would be to speak to someone such as Welfare Rights, or a Citizens Advice first, before letting your local authority know the situation. There is also a great place called Stepchange who can advise you if you're finding that financially everything is a struggle. Also another is Christians against Poverty. You can find details of all these places online via Google search.
Good luck, and I hope the advice has helped a little, although I do appreciate just how awful you must be feeling with your current predicament.
Regards, Chris.
Really sorry to read about your awful situation. I may be able to assist you with information in relation to this. You will still more than likely be expected to pay C/Tax on your current property, but it is at the discretion of your local authority as to how much, and what sort of/if any, discount that would be available to you.
As for your brothers place - it could affect him with a number of reasons - If he gets single persons discount, he will likely lose that if you're residing their. Also, if there's a gas fire in the living room, some authorities do not allow people to sleep on a sofa because of the health and safety reasons such as carbon monoxide poisoning, or a gas leak for example. Not sure if this is the same with electric fires, but I do know some authorities are funny about this sort of thing.
I think your best bet would be to speak to someone such as Welfare Rights, or a Citizens Advice first, before letting your local authority know the situation. There is also a great place called Stepchange who can advise you if you're finding that financially everything is a struggle. Also another is Christians against Poverty. You can find details of all these places online via Google search.
Good luck, and I hope the advice has helped a little, although I do appreciate just how awful you must be feeling with your current predicament.
Regards, Chris.
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- Gaddy
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1 week 3 days ago #290649 by Gaddy
Replied by Gaddy on topic Query about being homeless snd council tax
Hello Souter,
Please speak to Shelter Scotland for advice before you do anything, 0808 8004444. I know from experience that handing in the keys to a property even though it is a last resort does not necessarily eradicate any mortgage debt owed. I have been in your position without the added complication of the cladding issue and got through it as you will too. My very best wishes to you.
Gaddy
Please speak to Shelter Scotland for advice before you do anything, 0808 8004444. I know from experience that handing in the keys to a property even though it is a last resort does not necessarily eradicate any mortgage debt owed. I have been in your position without the added complication of the cladding issue and got through it as you will too. My very best wishes to you.
Gaddy
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- Catherine
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1 week 3 days ago #290651 by Catherine
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Catherine on topic Query about being homeless snd council tax
Hi Souter and I am sorry to hear about your predicament.
I would very strongly advise you get personal advice on this matter, over and above what we can offer here. I am not an expert on housing issues, but am aware there are some potential traps such as being deemed to be 'intentionally homeless', which is probably what the council were thinking about.
I also note that you are lucky enough to live in Scotland, and they sometimes have different rules to England which is another reason you should seek personal local advice.
As Gaddy said, Shelter Scotland would probably be a good first call.
Wishing you a successful outcome,
Catherine
I would very strongly advise you get personal advice on this matter, over and above what we can offer here. I am not an expert on housing issues, but am aware there are some potential traps such as being deemed to be 'intentionally homeless', which is probably what the council were thinking about.
I also note that you are lucky enough to live in Scotland, and they sometimes have different rules to England which is another reason you should seek personal local advice.
As Gaddy said, Shelter Scotland would probably be a good first call.
Wishing you a successful outcome,
Catherine
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- AshleyMcab
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1 week 3 days ago #290666 by AshleyMcab
Replied by AshleyMcab on topic Query about being homeless snd council tax
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