Moving in with dad...?

little_evo

Hi all, thanks for taking time to read my post.

I have a few questions...

Brief history...

Dad (disabled claiming long term incapacity benefit till july when he turns 65 and gets state pension) rents from local council 4 bed house, mum passed away in March, dad still pays full rent on the house and has 25% off his council tax. Both my sister and myself help and support dad as best we can, (washing, cleaning, chores, meals etc)
Sisters husband has suffered 3 strokes, and rents private sector. Lives about 200 yards drive from dads...

Would it be possible for my sister to move in with my dad and obviously take my brother in law with her to look after both of them under one roof. Would she be entitled to any allowance? Would dads benefits stop? Would my sisters benefit stop for looking after my bro in law?

We have talked about it quite a lot and it seems like the ideal situation, she would not mind doing it, as it effectively kills two birds with one stone as it were, and as she lives so close it seems like the right thing to do?

Would the council have any objections to this arrangement in anyones experience?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatfully received.

Thanks again for reading my post.

Jowo_2

Check the council websites and they often have sections giving information to tenants which include their policy on other people moving into the property and how to apply for permission.

They also often have schemes to prioritise their older tenants living in large properties switching to smaller ones, sometimes with cash incentives or priority to moves into sheltered housing.

lincroft1710

Some councils try to rehouse single people who are in 3 or 4 bed houses into smaller, more suitable accom. Where there is recent bereavement, they will try to be compassionate/diplomatic.

little_evo

Thanks for the replies, with regards to them, dad does not want to move, as it has been "the family" house since 1974, all of us have flew the nest as it were, and i don't think dad could cope with a move, that is one of the reasons he is still paying full rent, i presume if he were to be paying less rent they would in effect force him out? Which is another reason why we thought it be best if my sister moved back in, meaning the occupancy levels on the house would rise.

tbs624

Your father is obliged to pay the rent for the property in full - why should anyone continue to occupy a 4 bedroomed council property by themselves and pay less for the privilege of doing so? You may also like to bear in mind that families in your area may be stuck in cramped temporary accommodation desperate for a council property of this size to become available

Is your sister perhaps hoping that she can sidestep any waiting lists & that this council tenancy can eventually be assigned to her, given that you all view it as "the family house"?

Jowo has made a useful alternative suggestion which may work - have you looked into doing that?

little_evo

tbs624 wrote: »

Your father is obliged to pay the rent for the property in full - why should anyone continue to occupy a 4 bedroomed council property by themselves and pay less for the privilege of doing so? You may also like to bear in mind that families in your area may be stuck in cramped temporary accommodation desperate for a council property of this size to become available

To be fair, if my dad pays full rent for which he has been doing ever since we moved there, i see no reason for him to move. Why should anyone be forced out of a home they have lived in for 35 years? He has not claimed a single penny towards the rent or council tax, and does not even though he is entitled to.

To answer your question no my sister is not looking to bypass any waiting lists etc. But she is being forced out of the rented private property she lives in now and living with dad would like i mentioned kill 2 birds with one stone as both her husband and my dad are disabled.

Your 2nd point, about looking into alternative accomodation, we have not looked and this is not an option due to the frailty of my father and my sisters husband.

Thanks again for the help, but you didn't give the answers to the specific questions i had asked previously.

carefullycautious

I cant see why she should not be able to move in. Also a tenancy is allowed to pass once in a lifetime to surviving spouse/child who resides there. Not sure if this would be the case for adult children who have left and moved back. I have a friend who lived with her mother, when mother died the tenancy passed to her even though she was still a teenager. So she took possession of a three bed house. I think you need to establish what would happen if your sister moved back in (if it is allowed) and would she be able to take the tenancy over on the death of your father to prevent her being homeless.

Have just realise that the council would know that your sister hasnt been living there by the electoral role as she would have been on it. So I would presume that the tenancy would not be passed on.

Jowo_2

tbs624 wrote: »

Your father is obliged to pay the rent for the property in full - why should anyone continue to occupy a 4 bedroomed council property by themselves and pay less for the privilege of doing so?

Because that's what most social housing tenants are entitled to do, often given pretty much lifetime virtually unbreakable tenancies to the particular property they've been allocated. He is doing what he is fully entitled to do.

Other countries have social housing allocated for a fixed period of time or caps on income that are regularly checked which trigger the end of the tenancy when their income is better or ties the level of rent to their income. Perhaps because of the shortage of social housing, caused by the right to buy scheme, this is something that could get introduced in the UK in future.

My aunty downsized from her 2 bed to a 1 bed place, not because of any moral imperative or for the sake of the nation, but because it suited her interests as she approached retirement. If her original flat was in a better area, she might have well stayed in it until she died, because that's what she is entitled to do.

tbs624

Jowo wrote: »

Because that's what most social housing tenants are entitled to do, often given pretty much lifetime virtually unbreakable tenancies to the particular property they've been allocated. He is doing what he is fully entitled to do...

I think you misunderstand my point - am fully aware of how social housing tenancies work

little_evo wrote: »

Thanks again for the help, but you didn't give the answers to the specific questions i had asked previously.

Quote from your first post: "Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatfully received."
Post a topic up for discussion on a public forum and you are always likely to get responses from those who view things the same way as you do and also from those who have different opinions.

My personal view is that social housing should be provided according to *need* : the fact is that people in your father's position do not need to live in a 4 bedroomed house, especially when it will probably be at the expense of young families who may be in cramped temporary accommodation. Perhaps one such family also has a member who has some form of disability. You say that your sister is not seeking to bypass waiting lists but those who have been on the waiitng list for sometime may see things differently.

I can fully understand your comments about having been there for xx years, but that is a "like" not a "need". IMHO Council/HA owned family sized homes should be available only for those with children under 18: once your kids have grown up you should be obliged to swap to a smaller property, and of course, currently, many Council do offer incentives for people to do just that. Many such properties are often far more suited to those who are frail or have specific mobility difficulties, having been specially adapted.

However, my personal views aside, you and your sister may like to know that if the original tenancy was in both your parents names, it will have been passed to your father's sole name under what is called survivorship, which is regarded as a succession. There can only be *one* succession, although the Council *may* consider granting another tenancy. If your father is the only one who has ever had his name on the tenancy agreement then a family member would have to have been living at the property for 12 months prior to your father passing away to be considered for succession.

little_evo

Thank you everyone for your responses. I realise it's best to simply go by the council and have a word with them to straighten it all out. Thank you again.

Blackpool_Saver

Why does someone always have to come on and be unpleasant, the OP asked questions nicely, no need to make remarks about the rent.

I hope your family after all their ill health and problems are able to get what they wish for , good luck.