Any Advice

[River Don]

I'll put this out here, just to see if anyone can offer something I haven't thought of.

My partner is in the enviable position of owning a flat outright, which she normally rents out for extra income. These aren't normal times though and she's out of work because of Covid. So, unable to claim anything she's only had the income from the flat.

Now the bad news. She has a good tenant but yesterday he suffered a serious injury at work. Bleeding on the brain. It does not sound good.
So we're very sympathetic and want to help, he has an ex and a little girl to look after.

However, from our point of view, we don't know what will happen to the rent money. He's unconscious in hospital.

We wouldn't want to chuck him out and get a new tenant and legally we couldn't be such bas**rds because Covid rules mean you can't act like that in lockdown anyway.

So our immediate problem is, no income. As far as I can see there is no way to claim income support and given she has a flat with a sitting tenant who is not paying rent, she can't even hope to sell the flat if things got desperate.

So it's looking like we'll have to tighten our belts, live off my income and use savings for a while, in the hope the tenant pulls through, is able to claim some money and pay off some of his arrears. We don't know what his position is with employers and sick pay and compensation and such. Whatever it is while he's out in hospital, he's not dealing with it.

Any thoughts?

[Glyn_Wigley]

Does the tenant have a next-of-kin that you're aware of?

[River Don]

There is his ex, who let us know. Poor lass was in floods of tears on the phone.

She told us his parents are by all accounts in shock and asked us to leave them a while before we try contacting them. That I think will be the next avenue to try.

Poor lad though, apparently he needed an op to relieve pressure on the brain. He might be left disabled after this.

[Glyn_Wigley]

If you know who he works for, surely they'd have a record of who they were told his next-of-kin is? If it's his ex and not his parents perhaps she can talk to his employers about using part of his sick pay directly for his rent and other bills, or something like that? (I'm not sure how the law works on this but it might be worth pursuing)

[River Don]

Yes, I'm not sure who the employers are, I'm not even sure if he's not self employed. A question for his parents. It'll have to wait a week or so.

I wonder, if need be, they could get power of attorney?

[Filo]

Yes, I'm not sure who the employers are, I'm not even sure if he's not self employed. A question for his parents. It'll have to wait a week or so.

I wonder, if need be, they could get power of attorney?

Some one can only obtain power of attorney with consent, given that the chap is incapacitated, consent won’t be forthcoming, I would just sit tight for a week or two and see how things develop

[Glyn_Wigley]

Power of Attorney was my first thought but I have the feeling that you need the permission of the person involved for it to be legal which isn't easy if they're unconscious...but there may be alternatives out there.

This might help:

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/if-the-person-you-want-to-help-has-lost-mental-capacity

[Monkcaster_Rover]

Cant give any advice but I hope things work out well for all parties. Sad state of affairs.

[RobTheRover]

Good luck getting it sorted, RD

[BillyStubbsTears]

Shocking situation RD. I can't offer any practical help but good luck to you, and even more to that poor lad.

[River Don]

Things look to have taken a better turn! Thank goodness.

The lad is conscious and out of intensive care, at the moment he's awake but confused. The doctors say he will make a recovery, I note they didn't say full recovery, so we'll have to see.

Here's the nice part of this saga. His mates have clubbed together to make sure his bills are paid and his ex is okay!

[idler]

They are real mates then.
There's nothing like a crisis to find out exactly who your true friends are.
Sometimes with surprising results.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

Things look to have taken a better turn! Thank goodness.

The lad is conscious and out of intensive care, at the moment he's awake but confused. The doctors say he will make a recovery, I note they didn't say full recovery, so we'll have to see.

Here's the nice part of this saga. His mates have clubbed together to make sure his bills are paid and his ex is okay!

Brilliant. Good lads. Hope the fella is fit and well as he can be before long.