Hiya old lurker here.
I got married June 2012, prior to that i was on esa income (support)
once i got married i asked to move to conts as i knew thats where i had to go.
I got a part time job, against my neurologist advice, i knew i had to get work to bring income in.
husband has property, very run down, needs money spent on it to get renters in, so that counts out housing benefit and council tax.
i only work 20 hours a week but its in a busy call centre, i have been of sick with colds and flus and ms related flare ups that i have just had to have a occupational health assessment, the stress of my team leaders going on to me about my level of sickness, i explained how ms works with normal colds etc, this was ignored, (report is back from occupational health) it tells the same thing.
i am so tired, physically and mentally, just taken 2 days off due to neck and back pain all stress, £40 paid for a chiropractor to help put me right,
i can’t just quit work as we would get no help with rent or ctax, but i wonder if you are allowed to go back to esa.
i really feel i cant go on anymore
what are my options here, work is just killing me where i am
Hi,
You can claim ESA again after a break of 6 months.
The issue for you will probably hinge round contribution based and income based.
To claim contribution based the rule of thumb is that you have had to pay NI contributes for the previous 3 years (The actual rules are more complicated than this but 3 years is a good guide) I suspect that the gap whilst you have been working has not been 3 years and so you will not qualify for contribution based.
Does your partner work? If so you will not be eligible for income based. You mention property that is not your home. This will pop you over the savings limit and again preclude a claim for income based ESA.
If your break from ESA has been short you can ask for a rapid reclaim this is where your previous claim is reinstated. The rules for this are complicated and you should seek help from a benefits advisor at CAB or Welfare Rights who will also explain the 12 month limit for claiming contribution based ESA
You mention other benefits like council tax benefit. While ever your husband owns property that you do not live in it is counted towards your savings. If you have savings over £12,000 you will not be eligible for anything that is means tested.
Jane
Hi, you`ve not mentioned DLA/PIP. Do you get either of those benefits?
PIP has replaced DLA. You can work and still get it.
Have a look at the DWP website and see if you want to apply.
pollx
hi
yes have high mobility and med care dla.
I’ve been working in this call centre since Sept last year (2012)
They lied to me i feel so let down there, they said they had someone with ms there and understood if i need to take time out to rest and recover, and yet its a different story, almost like haveing a job missold to you.
Husband owns a house outright, and wants to do that up so that we can rent that out, which in the long run once any money borrowed to do it up is paid back it will make life just a little easier here and perhaps look at benefits if i feel the same way.
I’m clinging onto this job as husband cant support us, and yet this darn empty house the council said was not fit for their tenants, council tax say differnent so we are paying council tax on that house as well even though its empty.
i am looking for another job somewhere a little quieter, less stress full, but with lots of sick days and a disability that will be stressfull to try and find one and actually get an interview.
sorry i was feeling so low, my shoulders and back have been agony for days and i had to payout for a chiropractor yesterday, feel sore today but a little better, this will be day 3 off sick, i rang today to say i will be in tomorrow
Hi again.
Sounds like catch 22 for you, with property to let out.
Folk are better off if they have nowt, eh?
Hope you find a more suitable job hun.
luv Pollx
Have look at the emptyhomes.com website because they give suggestions about housing associations doing houses up in return for a fixed rental period at a reduced rate. Each local authority should have an empty homes officer and many local authorities operate a similar scheme to the housing association ones. The government supposedly wants to bring empty homes back into use so may be worth investigating further. Hope this helps. Sorry can’t help on the benefit front.
Been there.
we contact the local council, housing associations, and most didnt want to know, the council did give us a list of approved builders/electricians, but most were no longer working and no one came back with quotes, so we have to fund this ourselves.
it really is a noose around our necks as it is
ok i replied to this once but it didnt show up.
we have contacted the council, and housing associations in our town, no one wanted to know apart from the local council, as long as we used their approved tradesmen list, those who werent no longer working didnt want to do it, and so we have to find the funds and do this ourselves, this place is a noose around our necks at the moment, i know that once we have it ready and tenants in it will be a help.
Why don’t you sell the property as it is. I don’t know what the price of property is where you live and I do admit that I stay in an area where property is expensive so I might be basing my estimates on figures that are totally out of line for you but this would give you cash now, there would be no outlay doing the property up, you wouldn’t need to pay council tax on it anymore and it would take away the stress of the situation. Cheryl:-)
National Empty homes Loan Fund. New fund approved September this year. Don’t know when you last spoke to your Council so it might be worth seeing if they are involved in it. Presumably the Council Tax department know the house is empty. Do not know whether your council does but most have reduced charges for empty houses. Agree with Cheryl in that if all avenues are explored and not viable then sale is probably the only way.