Around seven years ago, Maya and her partner decided to sell their house and move into a bigger property in Wales to run as a bed and breakfast in her retirement years. Their new home also had a large back garden in which they hoped to build four houses as part of a local development plan.
Maya's plans fall apart
However, with the housing plans being cancelled by the Government and Maya being unable to host guests due to health problems, the couple’s plans fell apart. As an alternative, they decided to refurbish the house and sell it for profit, something they had done in the past as a business. However, with the recession hitting the housing market, they were unable to sell the property, leaving Maya feeling “completely and utterly stressed”.
Unable to survive on her pensions, Maya sold her jewellery and took a loan from her sister, but with this money running out she knew that she needed a source of sustainable income.
Turn2us Benefit Calculator
She decided to search the internet to see what help might be available and, although she found several relevant websites, she thought that Turn2us “was the plainest and most straightforward” and used “very good plain language”.
Taking the information she got from the Turn2us Benefit Calculator and “swallowing her pride” at applying for benefits, Maya approached the local Citizen’s Advice bureau who helped her apply. She was delighted to qualify for Housing costs of £257 a month and Pension Credit of £57 a week.
...knowing she will be able to pay her oil bill and her mortgage has left her feeling “a lot calmer and more grounded and not so nervous” which also means that she is sleeping better.
The difference Turn2us made to Maya's life
Maya says that this extra money “has made a heck of a difference to my life”. She says that knowing she will be able to pay her oil bill and her mortgage has left her feeling “a lot calmer and more grounded and not so nervous” - which also means that she is sleeping better.
Maya would like to say “thank you very much for all your help. I’m really grateful” to Turn2us. In fact, she says that if she found out someone she knew was in financial difficulty she would definitely recommend that they go to Turn2us to see if they could claim any benefits.