Support For Mortgage Interest Changes Will Affect Current Claimants
With many thanks to Benefits And Work.
The plan to change support for mortgage interest (SMI) payments from a benefit to a loan will hit current SMI claimants, the DWP have confirmed in an impact assessment published yesterday.
SMI pays all or part of the interest on a claimant’s mortgage if they are getting benefits such as Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit.
At present SMI is a non-repayable benefit. But one of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill currently going through parliament is to change the payments into a loan from 2018, which will be repaid when a claimant returns to work or sells their property. Alternatively it will be recovered from their estate after they die.
Not only will the loan have to be repaid, but interest will be charged on it and there will be an administration charge on top. The changes will affect both current claimants and new claimants from 2018.
The DWP claim that the change will increase claimants’ life chances and reduce repossessions.
Same Difference 
we all coming to america it seems these devils are taking us there
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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There’s no let up is there? It’s like they have looked at every angle and sewn up welfare.
Mortgage interest payments will be loans, under UC hardship payments will be loans, you pay bedroom tax if you can’t move (which you can’t), if you work or not there’s the benefit cap to reduce your HB, if you hit a long Mandatory Reconsideration you have no income at all and under UC that means eviction, and by all means don’t both parents get jobs (they’ll have no choice) because if you do you’ll have to ‘pay to stay’, which if you’re working and lucky enough to be one of those who lives on a housing estate in a well to do area that the local authorities or HAs haven’t cleared, you’ll soon have to clear out and unless you’re vulnerable, and maybe even if you are, there will be no help to find somewhere else to live, so it’s ether the streets (the hostels are full and many closed), a gov funded B&B (only if you have kids), or a small room in a shared house which will still cost you dearly.
Reminds me when Jesus said he had nowhere to lay his head.
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