Inheritance whilst on ESA

GirlFromMars_2

Ames wrote: »

Being in a council flat doesn't automatically preclude you from Shared Ownership. But what I'd be basically saying is 'I have a secure tenancy in a place that meets my needs. I've just inherited a load of money, please can I use it to buy a quarter share in a house. Oh, and I'll need housing benefit to pay the rent on the other three quarters, which will probably be more than my current HB. Oh, and I might need to spend a few grand on adaptations so that it's as suitable as my current place'. No DM is going to agree to that, mainly because the only possible reason for buying is to get rid of the cash.

Plus, the HOLD scheme, which is the only one I think I'd be eligible for (others seem to only be for people in work) specifies that it must be to move to somewhere more suitable. If I were in my old place, with a list as long as your arm of reasons it was unsuitable (as assessed by the council) then it would be a no brainer to use the money to buy somewhere, to get out of the hellhole that was a serious health and safety hazard.

Sorry to the OP for taking the thread off topic.

I'm honestly not sure what a DM would say, I've been having this conversation in another thread, but I really think buying a home (especially if you have disabilities) is a sensible option that a DM would consider. You'd need to write to them in advance of spending the money though for a decision!

If you want the contact details of my housing association so you can give them a ring and see if they'd be in a position to help, I can PM them to you, but please feel free to tell me to shut up and stop bugging you if you'd prefer.

In my situation the DM didn't seem to care about the suitability of my current housing situation, but the Housing Association did need me to be on the Housing Register.