Single parent-dom

[Scarlett]

I am not a single parent, but I was wondering, if I was to have a baby, I would be a single parent. At the moment I have my own house and big mortgage responsibilities. If I got pregnant and wanted to keep the baby, what would happen to my mortgage? I wouldn't be able to work, but surely I wouldn't lose my house? Single parents are normally provided for by the council. I wouldn't need a council house as I have this one. So what would happen to me financially?

[Hgrove]

Sorry to be so negative but almost certainly you would fall in arrears with your mortgage owing to the time you would be forced not to work (maternity pay is low) and the exhorbitant cost of childcare, and your house would very likely be repossessed.

[Scarlett]

But surely I would be entitled to some sort of benefit?

[Hgrove]

Sorry to be so negative again, but I believe the benefit of having your mortgage paid for a period of time used to exist but was in fact abolished.  In fact I believe your home would be safer as a tenant than as a homeowner.  I suspect the sort of benefit you would be entitled to would not begin to come near your mortgage repayments (as you say you have big mortgage responsibilities). 

[Loosehead]

As others have said, It's a strange paradox, the state will not pay your mortage but will wait until you are homeless and then, as you have a child they will accomodate you somewhere, probably in some sort of B&B, which perversely, will probably cost more than it would have cost to pay your mortgage! The bottom line is don't get pregnant unless you can support the child and yourself.

[Miss Zippy]

Unfortunately, those of us that work hard to provide for ourselves and our families and who perhaps have never been a burden on the state are offered no help whatsoever, even temporarily, when we fall on troubled times. You would not get any help with your mortgage repayments so if you could not keep up mortgage repayments, you would lose your home.