Cost of clearing council rented property

joaniemerc

My dad has been assessed as needing full time residential care as he can't look after or feed himself properly and has early onset dementia.

I live 3 hours drive away and have managed to get him into a residential care home nearer me. My dad is in debt with his rent due to my g*t of a half brother taking advantage of my dad's confused condition and getting money off him. He has also sold his car and pocketed the money saying my dad said he could.

He had a one bedroomed bungalow rented from the local council and they have let me know that they require a "recharge" fee of £630 to put the property back to a rentable state. We tidied the property up as much as we could but could only move a car load of dad's personal stuff. So his furniture is still there and the items he would no longer need were bagged tidily into bin liners.

He wasn't in receipt of any benefits (which now having seen what he had to live on realise that perhaps he should have been having a bit more help) other than state pension and a small private pension which are both now going to be going towards his care in the home - which is fair enough.

Anyone know if my dad can get the £630 recharge fee reduced or written off due to his ill health and reduced financial circumstances pls?

TIA

BitterAndTwisted

If he hasn't got the money they won't be able to get it from him. Do not expect any understanding or compassion from them.

jamie11

Off the top of my head.

Your Dad's debts are not yours.

Let the council chase him for the payment, eventually (when he sadly dies) those debts will devolve to his estate (if anything is left) the council can recover their money then.

That is only my thoughts on the matter though.

Shelldean

agree with Jamie11, these are your dads debts not yours and if has no money then they cant have what he hasn't got. However they might be able to request a payment plan.


Slightly different was when my Nan died, we had awful trouble with her council. She died on a Bank hol wk end and we notified the council the first day we could, the Tuesday. They expected the keys back there and then!!!!!!
We negotiated 3 weeks to clear the house ( 3 bed) They warned us they would charge us full rent for the three weeks, but they actually tried to charge us for four, but we didn't have the money and neither did Nans estate.
we took most items out of the house, but couldn't move her 3 piece suite, a brand new cooker ( left with instruction booklet) and a couple of other minor things, like a coffee table.
The council tried to charge us almost £1500 to removed these items!! They photographed everything as proof, including the yellow pages and Thompson we'd left on the window sill for next tenants and a pile of flattened boxes we'd not put out for recycling. Funny enough there was NO photo of the brand new cooker.


Tried to tell me I was liable, tried that line a couple of times.
I wrote and told them no money in estate, so we couldn't pay.


The difference is your dad is still alive, so they may request a payment plan.


But defiantly expect NO compassion at all.

paddedjohn

Hopefully they will be able to get repaid out of any future benefits your dad is able to claim (if he is eligible for any that is)