Housing Association - action after bereavement

R1CHIE

My wife's mum has just died and lived alone in a housing association property. She had no money, was a disabled pensioner who received DLA, council tax and housing benefit.

There are no assets of any worth and we had to pay for the funeral from some savings and the rest on a credit card.

My wife is an only child and we live some distance away and both work (although my wife has been off sick with depression because of the bereavement - she looked after her mum in the last few weeks and saw her die ). We have been using every weekend since Ma died to clear everything out but it's been a struggle - it's now been 4 weeks.

Anyway, my wife got a call this afternoon from the rent arrears team saying that we needed to pay rent on the property and needed to hand the keys back as soon as possible. There is still loads of stuff that we need to clear as she lived there for over 30 years.

Please could you advise on the following:

1. Can they make us personally responsible for the rent - they say that because she is dead the full rent (with no benefit / rebate) is due from the time she died until we hand back the keys.

2. If we can't clear all the big stuff - we'd need to pay to hire a van and make loads of trips for old wardrobes etc - and we left it all in the property, could they charge us for the clearance?

We're already out of pocket by thousands as my wife took unpaid leave before Ma died and we had the funeral costs - we just can't afford any more, it's crippling us and this is all really upsetting my wife - we can't clear the stuff any faster as we only have the weekends. My wife is too upset to go there on her own as she cries constantly from the bad memories of her being so sick.

Any ideas please?

mancitychick

After my parent died I gave the keys back to the housing association 3 weeks after he died.

I had completely emptied it and cleaned it so don't know what would of happened had I not.

With regards to the rent, the HA told us the rent was payable until the keys were handed back. However when I asked them if they give any rent free period for the place to be cleared they said they give 2 weeks. This was not mentioned until I asked.

Also they said the rent owing comes from the estate, so if no estate they get no
rent. Again this wasn't mentioned until I said I would pay it as & when I could afford it, and the rent officer said about it coming from the estate.

RAS

I think you will find that the estate owes the rent not yourselves.

BUT, you really do need to clear the place. I also know it took a year or two of weekends to clear mum's house.

Will try and post some links to recycling networks who would take stuff.

McKneff

Clear the place as soon as you can.

You are not responsible for any rent owed. If Mum left no estate then rent cannot be claimed, the debt has died with her. Same goes for council tax, utilities etc.

Even if you left everything in the house from now on the council would have to suck it up. Payment is not your responsibilty.

Just clear it, drop the keys off at the council and wash your hands of it.

Hope you both feel better soon.

BigAunty

From memory, charities like the Salvation Army, Emmaus, British Heart Foundation will take certain furniture and electrical items in good condition. Perhaps there are independent furniture charities local to the property?

Then there are places like Freecycle, Freegle, Gumtree freebies where you can list items for the general public to pick up.

googler

Make a priority this weekend to get some boxes, go to the house and grab all the items that will have sentimental value for you - personal possessions, photos, jewellery, medals, ornaments, etc. The stuff that can't be replaced. That can't take more than a weekend, surely? How big is the house? Even if you have to cut the clearing short, all that will be left is stuff below that's of no value personally to you. If, as you say, there's no assets of value in the estate, there can't be too much in this category...?

Leave furniture, unless it's clearly antique and valuable or you're going to use it.

Leave clothes, or bag them up in bin bags and take to charity shop. Unless your wife is planning on wearing them...?

Leave carpets, curtains, small kitchen appliances etc.

As someone said, the HA/council just have to suck it up, same as they would have to do if the elderly person had died with no relatives......

propertyman

I dealt with this situation just this past year. The estate are responsible for the rent and can make a claim against that which the executors will have to respond to.

After a month and no real progress it was likely an attempt to chivvy you up and get some idea of when the property will be given up.

Give them a realistic date to get it cleared and explain that there wasn't even enough for the funeral.

As someone said, the HA/council just have to suck it up, same as they would have to do if the elderly person had died with no relatives.....

On the other hand, there may be families living in a filthy B & B that desperately need a home....

As hard as it is getting it cleared you might be helping someone in real need.

My condolences.

R1CHIE

BigAunty wrote: »

From memory, charities like the Salvation Army, Emmaus, British Heart Foundation will take certain furniture and electrical items in good condition. Perhaps there are independent furniture charities local to the property?

The trouble is that we live at least a 2 hour drive away (each way) and it involves the M25 so pretty unpredicatable - we that means we only have a small opening on Sat / Sun for anyone to collect. I've tried BHF and they only collect on Tues / Thurs from that branch.

googler wrote: »

Make a priority this weekend to get some boxes, go to the house and grab all the items that will have sentimental value for you - personal possessions, photos, jewellery, medals, ornaments, etc. The stuff that can't be replaced. That can't take more than a weekend, surely?

You'd think so but Ma was a bit of a hoarder and there are cupboards upon cupboards of box files and bags and filing cupboards filled with stuff - some dating back to the 40s (left from her mum). We've yet to find the keys to some of the cupboards - in the end we';; just have to break into them. We've been taking some stuff back to sort through during the week but there is just SO much - my wife leaves in tears every time because we just don't seem to be getting through it.

We've already donated clothes and small items to charity shops.

googler wrote: »

As someone said, the HA/council just have to suck it up, same as they would have to do if the elderly person had died with no relatives......

I'm hoping this is the case because the big wardrobes and cupboards are old style stuff that's really heavy and a style that's not really popular now.

I just don't want to have the HA coming after us for money owed for the rent or the clearance. As an organisation they seem pretty ruthless - they only gave free rent to the first Monday after she died so that was effectively two days free rent as she died on a Saturday.

propertyman

I know its really hard and frankly may involve annual leave or your employer giving you compassionate leave for those collections.

The Monday thing is wrong the guidance is one week from the next Monday, but in practical terms will respond to dialog.

HA's are also under huge pressure in funding targets to end voids asap. Asking for a little help might work and you never know.

The one I cleared, after 3 weeks, and the HA called to say thank you for clearing it out so well! It was good to go.

Oddly it was being repainted before the passing, and I asked my contractors to leave the paint for the new tenant but the HA wanted it disposed of!

dawyldthing

To help clear the house:

phone up all the local charity shops, tell them you have things you would like to donate and can they pick it up on a Saturday/Sunday

Put all the big things that still could be used by someone on gumtree, free for collection, and i bet by the weekend it will all be gone

take all the sentimental things with you asap.

hire a skip to get rid of the rest of the things if you can

ask on gumtree to see if someone can help out/ split the difference if theres things that could be sold on ebay

sorry for your loss though

pauletruth

could you not hire a box van. do a rough check and dump the rubbish and take the stuff that need further checking.