I was made redundant from £50k-a-year job and almost lost my home but a little-known scheme saved me

AS EMMA lies in bed at night she is unable to sleep, she’s hungry after only eating bread and cheese and having no money left after bills.

The xx-year-old, who lives in Birmingham, went from a £50,000 a year software job to living on £600 a month in benefits after getting made redundant from her job last August.

Despite having over three decades of experience, Emma struggled to find work and was left with no choice but to apply for benefits.

She is thousands of pounds in debt as she struggles to keep up with bills.

She owes £2,000 to her private landlord, after the rent was raised on her three-bed house, where she lives alone, from £750 to £995 a month 14 months ago.

Emma faced being homeless last year when she was issued a Section 21 notice from her landlord.

The eviction notice can be issued for a number of reasons, including not paying rent or if the owner wants to sell the property.

“There were times when I could not sleep at night..I was restless [and] I couldn’t focus really much on the job hunt.”

“I had this thing really burning in my mind and it was stressful.”

Since losing her job she’s struggled to keep up with her rent payments, as her benefits do not cover the full cost.

“I don’t have a bank of mum and dad…I do have other friends and family, but I don’t want to rely on them, because they’ve got their own financial issues and needs,” she told The Sun.

With money tight, Emma has survived on a diet of solely bread, milk and cheese for the past five months, which she says has impacted her mentally.

“[Buying] fruit and veg is more expensive than buying bread and cheese..you tend to eat the crap because it’s cheap.”

But she is not alone; she is one of countless renters who are finding it hard to survive after an increase in housing pressures.

A tough economic climate has meant many landlords have raised the price of rent to help cover the costs of a rising mortgage or utility bills.

With many would-be-buyers struggling to get on the ladder there is also a higher demand for rental homes, meaning landlords often increase rent because of competition.

New figures show over 67% people experiencing at least one housing pressure in the last year including keeping up with rent or mortgage payments, according to Homeless charity shelter.

A further 37% also had to cut back on essentials such as food to afford their housing costs.

With no one to turn to, Emma rang homeless and housing charity Shelter.

The group offer free legal aid to anyone at risk of losing their home, regardless of whether they rent or own.

Experts advised Emma to stay in the property until the landlord got a court order to evict her, but thankfully this was never obtained.

This advice allowed Emma to remain in her home, as she was able to negotiate with her landlord and he decided to not go ahead with the order.

She described the help she received as “brilliant” and said she “wholeheartedly” recommends Shelter to anyone in a similar position.

“[Don’t bury your] head in the sand, reach out to shelter,” she adds.

WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE?

If you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage its worth being aware of charities and government support available.

As mentioned, Shelter will offer free legal advice to tenants and home owners at risk of loosing their home.

You can call the CLA helpline at 0345 345 4 345. 

You might get legal aid if you get benefits or have a low income.

Legal aid can help with serious housing problems like:

• Eviction or being told to leave
• Repossession by a mortgage lender
• Getting homeless help from the council
• Living somewhere damp, overcrowded or unsafe

You could also apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).

This is a one off government payment which is given to your landlord to cover rental costs.

You can apply for a DHP if you currently get either:

• Housing Benefit
• The housing element of Universal Credit and need more financial support with housing costs

You may get a DHP to cover housing costs for:

• A rent shortfall
• Rent deposits
• Rent in advance if you need to move home

You apply through the council so you will need to contact your local to learn out how to apply.

You can find your nearest council by visiting, www.gov.uk/find-local-council.

How much you get depends on circumstances, but The Sun previously reported that one hard up household as £4,496.