Straight to the point

IS THERE a company that buys houses with a sitting tenant who has never paid rent but does the upkeep on it? We have such a tenant who is in his 80s and want to ensure that he can stay in the property for as long as he needs.

S. J., by email. THE National Association of Estate Agents is unaware of any such company. Landlords or lettings agencies expect a rent from a tenant.

The only option would be to strike a legally binding agreement with a future private buyer — but this would be complicated and expensive. CAN a child have an internet savings account?

A. H., St Albans, Herts. NOT one that is internetonly — but if your child is 11 or over he can have a Nationwide Smart account, which he can access online. MY EMPLOYER has awarded me a pay rise, but it hasn’t appeared in this month’s pay packet. Am I entitled to interest when I eventually receive my back pay?

J. H., Pebmarsh, Essex. ACCORDING to Samantha Weston, human resources director at accountants Grant Thornton, this is not common.

She says that for most workers the amount of interest, after tax and National Insurance, would be so small it is doubtful it would be worth bothering about. DUE to illness, I haven’t worked for four years and am now struggling financially. I have read somewhere that I can take a quarter of my pension as tax-free cash as I am 56 years old. But Norwich Union has told me I can’t take any cash from my pension. Who is right?

T. H., Salford, Lancs. USUALLY, if you are over 50 you can take some of your pension fund as cash. The pension you have with Norwich Union guarantees to pay out a set level of income when you reach age 65.

But at the moment there is not enough money in your pension pot to cover this payment any earlier than age 65, so you can’t take any money out of it.