April 2020
Struggling to keep up with the bills following a drop in income due to coronavirus
My income has dropped due to coronavirus and I’m struggling to keep up with all of my bills. I rent my house from a private landlord and pay all the usual bills - electricity, water, and Council Tax. How best can I juggle them, and is there any help I can get from the government?
If your income is reduced because of coronavirus, you should check whether you’re entitled to sick pay or to claim benefits. You can check your eligibility for both sick pay and benefits on the Citizens Advice website. If you’re already on existing benefits, these might also increase.
If you’re struggling to pay rent, talk to your landlord straight away. You should explain the situation and could ask for more time to pay, a temporary reduction in rent, or ask to catch up any missed payments by instalments. If you contact your nearest Citizens Advice an adviser can help you explain things to your landlord. If you can’t come to an agreement with your landlord, it’s a good idea to pay what you can afford and keep a record of what you offered.
The government passed an emergency law which means landlords have to give you three months notice to end certain tenancy types from 26 March. The court service has suspended all possession action for 90 days from 27 March. This means that even if you have been served a notice for eviction it’s unlikely it can be enforced during this time. You can find out more about what to do if you’re being evicted for rent arrears on the Citizens Advice website.
If you already claim Housing Benefit, you should tell the council your income has reduced. If you don’t claim it already, you might be entitled to help with housing costs from the government.
When it comes to your utilities, you should contact the provider as soon as possible. Depending on the type of bill, they may be able to arrange a payment plan, or have schemes in place for people in financial hardship. You should also talk to your local council, as your income has changed you might be entitled to a council tax reduction.
If you’re struggling to pay multiple bills, it’s important to sort out what’s known as ‘priority bills’ like energy bills or council tax over credit card bills. This is because the immediate consequences of not paying these things are much more serious. Information on the Citizens Advice website can help you with this.
If have other questions, you can call us for advice on 03444 111 444 (lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm); or you can email us
Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date advice, please visit the Citizens Advice website.
March 2020
Tickets for events
I’ve got tickets to an event next month and I’m not sure what will happen in light of coronavirus. I bought the tickets for myself and a few friends, one of them is worried about attending. What can I do?
Ticket holders who change their mind about going to see an event, such as a concert that is still going ahead, have no legal right to a refund.
If, however, the event is cancelled, your refund rights will depend on how you bought the ticket.
If you bought your ticket from an official seller and the organiser cancels, moves, reschedules, or makes the event behind closed doors, you should get a refund. This is the case even if it is cancelled due to a government ban on large events. The official seller is the best person to ask about how to get a refund.
If you bought your ticket from a ticket-reselling website, refunds will depend on the site's terms and conditions.
If you bought from a private seller and the event is cancelled or rescheduled then it is unlikely you will be able to recover your money. We recommend you contact the seller.
If you're due to go to an event, keep checking the information from the official seller or organiser to ensure you're up to date.
Unfortunately we’ve found that in these situations scammers prey on those who are affected.
If your event is cancelled and people or companies offer their services to try to recover money on your behalf, make sure that you're looking out for the signs of a potential scam.
Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date advice, please visit the Citizens Advice website.
February 2020
Small business money worries
I run a small business. It’s been a very difficult six months for us, we lost a contract with one of our major clients and I just haven’t been able to replace it with new business. Now I’ve just received a huge energy bill. It feels like the last straw and I'm really stressed.
I’m sorry to hear about your problems. The first thing to do is to call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133. They can often help to resolve problems with energy suppliers.
It’s particularly important to do this quickly if you’re on a business contract and you’ve been told you’re going to be disconnected. If this happens an extra fee can be added to your bill, and then there’ll be another charge for being reconnected.
If you think the bill is wrong, get in touch with your energy company. If you are a microbusiness you can only be charged for gas or electricity you’ve used in the last 12 months - they can’t send you a new bill dating back longer than a year.
If the bill is correct, but you just can’t afford it, your energy supplier might agree to a payment plan. Work out a realistic budget so you know you’ll be able to afford the payments. Here at Citizens Advice we can help sole traders and individuals, but for other businesses there’s the Business Debtline on 0800 197 6026.
Moving forward, if your bills are being estimated you might be paying more than you need to. Set up a reminder on your phone to send monthly meter readings to your supplier or see if you can get a smart meter installed.
You may also find switching energy companies will save you money. You could also try energy efficiency measures such as switching off computers and other equipment overnight, using energy efficient light bulbs or making sure your premises are insulated.
Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date advice, please visit the Citizens Advice website.
January 2020
Applying for Settled Status
I’m from Poland and I know I need to apply for Settled Status as the UK leaves the European Union. But I’m really confused about what documents I need in order to apply for me and my children. We’ve lived in England for six years and I’m worried that if we don’t apply before the end of the month, we might have to leave.
You don’t need to apply by the end of the month - your rights won’t change until 31 December 2020. However, you should apply as soon as you can in case of any delays. After the transition period ends on 31 December you might be asked to prove your right to do things like get a job or use a service like the NHS. Having your status sorted will make this more straightforward.
To get settled status, you need evidence that you’ve lived in the UK for 6 months out of every 12 months for 5 years in a row. As you say you and your children have lived in the UK for six years, you should be eligible for this.
In order to apply, you’ll need to have a few things. These include a passport or national ID card, a digital photo, your National Insurance number or proof of how long you've lived in the UK, a mobile number and an email address.
If you’ve been working, you can find your National Insurance number on your pay slip. If not you can contact HM Revenue and Customs National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 to help find it.
It may be easier to make your children’s application after you’ve made your own. This way you’ll be able to ‘link’ your child’s application to yours, using the application number you got when you applied for yourself.
You can do this at any time after you’ve applied - you do not need to wait for a decision. And if your own application is successful, your child will get the same status as you.
In order to apply on behalf of your children, you will need to have proof of your relationship - for example a birth certificate.
If you need any extra help with your application, your local Citizens Advice is on hand to help.
You can also find more information about what Brexit means for you on the Citizens Advice website
Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date advice, please visit the Citizens Advice website