How can I help them...

sulkisu

sovilla wrote: »

They just can't win either way. I feel so terrible for them and it make me hate our country even more, that older people don't get help. But if a foreigner comes over they get everything, houses, bikes, mobile phones. Makes me sick.

Well you could always emigrate, but as your in-laws have found, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Whiteknight

sovilla wrote: »

Basically in March this year they returned from spending 6 years living in Turkey. They had been ripped off and lost their villa and my father in law was having some health issues.

sovilla wrote:

They just can't win either way. I feel so terrible for them and it make me hate our country even more, that older people don't get help. But if a foreigner comes over they get everything, houses, bikes, mobile phones. Makes me sick.

So it is okay for your in-laws to swan off to live in Turkey for the last six years but when health issues and hard times befall them they decide to return to the land of plenty.

You have been given advice but to me at least it seems that what you are really looking for is what further benefits can be claimed. They must have realised that the place they were living in was too expensive you can help them by finding somewhere cheaper but maybe going from a Turkish villa to a one bedroomed place is beneath them.

seven-day-weekend

wildwestfan wrote: »

I am surprised they got past the HRT as they obviously returned to the UK in order to claim benefits.

I don't think (if what we have been told is true), that they came in order to claim Benefits, but due to a series of unwise financial transactions were in a position where they had no choice.

Many people lose their brains when they move to a foreign country and behave in a manner they wouldn't dream of in the UK, sometimes due to ignorance of the system.

It happened to us in a much smaller way when we bought our house in Spain. We bought the house cash, had a solicitor (not a requirement in Spain so we thought we were being extra careful), signed on the dotted line and that was that.

When we came to sell the house eight years later, it transpired that the deeds were not up to date inasmuch as someone in the dim distant past had extended the house by twice its volume and not updated the deeds to reflect this. As this would not happen in the UK, we just assumed all was OK. Because we did not have a mortgage, no one, including the legal professionals, particularly cared whether the deeds were up to date or not. So no-one told us.

We had to have them updated (cost us 8k euros and took eight months), when we sold, because our buyer WAS having a mortgage and the bank wanted correct deeds. Luckily they were updated and the sale went through eventually.

But yes, I have seen many people behave in a manner which appears stupid as soon as they get to a foreign country, the OP's parents are no exception.

To the OP, everybody who comes to live in this country has to pass the Habitual Residency Test, before they can claim means-tested benefits, this includes returning British Citizens.

I hope they manage to sort something soon, but first of all get a flat/house which will be covered by the Local Housing Allowance, so that at least their rent is paid.

seven-day-weekend

Errata wrote: »

If I was desparate and it was a choice between living on the Bransholme estate or the street, I'm damn sure I wouldn't be picky.

Exactly. They have little choice in the matter.

I always advise people thinking of moving to sunnier climes to keep a bolthole in the UK, even if it's a studio flat or a mobile home. It just means you get something smaller and cheaper in the country you go to live in. We did and were able to just return, move in and get on with our lives. Even if we'd not sold our Spanish house we'd still have had a place to come to here.

I know that advice is not helping the OP's parents, but it might help others who are reading the thread.

itch_for_a_glitch

sovilla wrote: »

And they actually took a lump sum out of father in laws pension to buy the villa in Turkey in the first place so not sure they can take anything out of it but I will ask

Why cant he draw his pension ?

sovilla

Deleted...

oldboy64

Horseunderwater wrote: »

This would give them the same amount as they would get with JSA - but no obligation to work - so £112.55, .

Can that be right? How on earth can a couple live, eat and pay their bills on that pittance?

seven-day-weekend

The thing is, about 'having paid in for 39 years', they haven't got a pot of money with their name on.

If you were paying buildings insurance for twenty years, and then didn't pay it for five, you wouldn't expect to be able to claim on it, would you? You have to have paid in at the right time.

They re already on several Benefits and in the not too distant future they will qualify for more. Their priority now is housing . They need somewhere affordable pdq and if that is a flat in a tower block on a sink estate, sobeit. If they don't want that they can live with you.

They don't really have a lot of choice, do they? I don't think anyone is saying that it is ideal, but you have to work with situations as they are, not how you would like them to be.

Oh....and they are not 'older' - they are in their fifties. Still quite young.

I do think though that they could try to get housing based on your f-i-l's medical needs. Try ringing Shelter, to enquire.

itch_for_a_glitch

sovilla wrote: »

They could probably get a 1 bed on bransholme which is a terrible area of hull and can sometimes take and hour to get to where we live. Plus if anything happens with the FIL we need to be close by.

sovilla wrote: »

when your already worried about your situation then why put yourself in one where your worried your going to get mugged or stabbed, or robbed. You have read in the news what Hull is like, it's the worst place to live in the UK. And the deprived areas are extremely deprived. /QUOTE]
If you live in a dump and you want them close by then they are going to be living in a dump.
They could choose to live anywhere and get HB
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-40109398.html

Rent £400 HB £335

seven-day-weekend

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-40345198.html

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-42453032.html

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-42733019.html


Three to be going on with.

You haven't answered the question about what happened to the income from your dad's Pension? You only mentioned his lump sum.