More bad news.

[trachet]

Hi, everyone. I've not posted on here for a while, I've been just getting, or trying to get on with life. Yesterday was the latest nail in my coffin, but a close friend posted that she was doing her best to remove the nails!

I am a self-employed music teacher who lives alone. I currently take 8 tablets a day for various illnesses, including venlafaxine for depression. In the summer I hardly earn any money, most weeks about £25. I have been depressed for years. My house, me and finances are in a real state. In May one of my next door neighbours accused me of scraping the paint on the bumper of her car (I didn't!) and now has got our insurance companies involved.

Two weeks ago I had a shock to find a bailiff knocking demanding that I give him £800 or he would remove the contents of my house. It was as I couldn't afford to pay my council tax. I had been trying to pay £200 a month but I just was running out of money. My bank account was in the red and I had no money left on my credit card. Fortunately the vicar came and persuaded the bailiff to take £400, which she was able to pay from a church fund . This whole incident shook me to my core. I had an appointment with my GP 2 days later who was over the moon that I had lost half a stone in a month, mostly due to cycling. When I told her about not being able to cope without money she just replied 'oh well if you haven't got money you won't be able to afford to eat!'

Oh hum, so I carry on cycling and got on a ferry for a reduced price last Thurs to discover as I landed I'd got a puncture! £9 to fix!

Yesterday I had another knock at my door, this time it was from the environmental health department who had been contacted by my next door neighbour! She has complained about my unkempt garden and conservatory. They told her the only way she could force me to do anything is by taking out a civil action which of course would be expensive, What a *****. For 18 months I have had to put up with DIY, with power tools till 1.30am, putting up with constant arguments with foul language any time of the day/night and hearing her make herself sick everyday. Last week she started hovering at 12.50am! The EHO also pointed out that my roof is in a serious condition and needs sorting out before it collapses. They are coming round in 2 weeks to do an extensive survey of my house. I'm so scared and daunted by this. I'm trying to sort out the house before they come. Just hope I can cope.

[Suzie40]

Is it your own house, or do you rent it? If it's your own I can't see they have any right to do such a survey?

Have you checked that you're claiming all that you're entitled to? Are you getting housing benefit, income support etc? You can claim during the summer if you're income is reliant on term times.

[ThemysciraDrive]

Hi. Sounds like you're having a pretty rough time, hope you're feeling better soon.

I actually work for a Council...unfortunately I don't know a lot about Environmental Health. It may well be that the survey could be a formality that they have to go through because your neighbour complained or something. I will see if I can find out anything helpful for you at work, meantime I will say don't worry too much, people in Council departments are well used to annoying neighbours raising spurious complaints! Happens a lot sadly.

One thing I do have to know a lot about for my job is Council Tax and benefits. Your Council cannot legally call in bailiffs without a Liability Order from a magistrates court, which they would have had to notify you about, did they do that?

Suzie is absolutely right about benefits, do you get any at the moment? Income Support is a big one, if you qualify for that (which you will do outside term time based on what you've said) then you will automatically qualify for some other benefits if they're applicable. I'd also look into Working Tax Credits if you don't already get them, and your local council's Council Tax Support scheme which they have to have by law. It's difficult to be specific without knowing your situation, so if you like please feel free to send me a private message and I will try to help out as much as I can, even if it's just telling you ways of getting applications processed as quickly as possible

Good luck, and try not to worry too much. Dealing with Councils is all about knowing how the system works, hopefully I can sort some of that out for you.

[Hidden]

Have you heard of Christians against Poverty? They are a charity who help people with debt problems. Just a suggestion. Their website is capuk.org and they may have an office local to you. They really helped me to get back on track and to put a plan in place. Saved my life in fact.

[trachet in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thanks very much. Someone from church is going to help me (pleased & worried!) her husband said something about cap on Sunday. I will do some investigation!

[gardengnome]

the system is there to help both sides, you can get council/police involved when your neighbours' behaviour is unacceptable. Do some research, have a plan in reserve for the worst case scenario with the house, rather than the stress of having to face the chaos of having to organize sooo much in a hurry, at least the council survey will give you a realistic idea about the house. Does your insurance come with free legal advice? Check out citizens advice as well. Fingers crossedxxx