couple from Poole, Dorset, made homeless.

I feel this is a case of being over cautious about old age savings that, by chance, end up in the wrong hands...but, still, it s**ks!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-strangers-offering-spare-rooms.html#comments

 

Back in 2006 my parents lost everything. It turned out that unbeknown to any of us my mother had a gambling addiction. £800,000 paid for house, £250,000 life savings, somehow most of the pensions surrendered, £267,000 owing in tax and vat, unpaid loans and so on gone without my Dad knowing a thing. It emerged that my Mum knew for for eighteen months what was coming but she had her head in the sand and the letters stashed away whilst she continued to try to win it all back

So I have little sympathy for this couple. It is not a bolt out of the blue. From what I'm reading they knew as a couple but are shifting the blame to bad luck and poor financial advice. Sorry, but there is something not quite right here. As pensioners they would have received emergency shelter of one form or another.

And a word to those offering them rooms for free - once they have a roof over their head (except local authority provided emergency shelter or a registered homeless hostel) they are no longer a priority case for social housing, rent assistance or anything else.

Sorry if I sound harsh but I can speak from my parents experience.

 

the article does not explain much about the reasons why they lost house/money in one go...
I am actually quite surprised to see that the couple hasn't been temporarily homed somewhere and assisted for the basic need from the authorities.
I think they may not have wanted to follow that path for pride. Though: I don't see how sleeping at the airport for more than a couple of nights is more practical or more safe or less humiliating than a micro room somewhere with a roof over your head.

 

Something not quite right
a house worth £750k but lost due to mortgage arrears, Then you would have the remainder of the value after the house sale, You could buy a nice three bed semi in the NE for £70k then you would not have to pay £300 a month storage for the goods they have stored ?

Offering them a roof over their head is dangerous, as it would make them Not homeless in the eyes of the council people, and have you known how hard it is to evict someone from your home, you nearly end up penniless yourself

Jack McH

 

The DM's previous article on them (which prompted the rush of donations/offers) went into more detail - and no, they didn't lose it all in one go and (as they had lived/worked in Canada for a number of months and returned to the UK without income/job or home) arrived knowing they were homeless.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ouple-living-airport-losing-500-000-home.html

 

Still not adding up..................

"Last year, Alan earned around £7,000 and received £527-per-month old-age pension along with a meagre occupational pension of £292 a month. "

So that is £16800 income last year. No wonder charities are not interested. There may well be a case for council help - it would be interesting to hear the councils response.

Also after x number of years as some sort of high flier he has bought himself a pension that realises less than three hundred pounds a month. Admittedly he has been divorced twice but even so.................

 

From those DM articles:

Their joint income would currently be £20,440 p.a. if she claimed JSA.

If they genuinely can't afford the repayments on that £20,000 loan then they should see the CAB about getting the interest frozen and the payments reduced. They also need to accept they will not be able to afford a house big enough for all their furniture in storage that's costing them £3,600 p.a.

She must also be nearing retirement age, in fact the worse case would be in 9 months if her 62nd birthday was just before those articles were written, so she will soon be entitled to a State Pension of approx. £110/week in lieu of JSA that would take their joint income to £22,520 p.a.

Is £22, 520 p.a. classed as being in dire straits and needing charitable donations?


The Local Authority (nearest the airport) have a duty to give them advice and assistance in finding privately rented accommodation and they could claim Housing Benefit if their income was low enough.

 

Sorry but I also have a hard time reading that article and feeling sorry for them... the time to do something was years ago.

In their current situation they should man up and claim the benefits they are obviously quite clearly entitled to, a quick visit to their nearest local authority and the chances are they would have somewhere temporary to stay within a month or two and more than likely a B&B that same night, food vouchers etc.

 

The whole £190,000 blown in 5 years? That's a rate of £38,000 p.a.! (their rent was £10,800 p.a. but by 2009 he would have been getting both his state and occupational pensions, some £9,828 p.a. at today's rates, plus she would have been entitled to over £3,000 p.a. JSA ). And they still had to borrow £20,000 to make ends meet? Those DM reports don't stand up to rudimentary examination.

 

There was an article all about this couple in the NewStatesman newspaper which will shed some light on this couple and what they have been up to.Makes interesting reading

 

I'm not convinced they would be entitled. They returned from Canada knowing they had nowhere to live. With local authority housing under huge strain these days, it would be very easy, under these circumstances, for the council to refuse on the basis they made themselves intentionally homeless.

 

I don't see how your opinion could possibly offend anyone Woo