Helping mum move to sheltered housing

elliq

My mum is 81 and we are in the process of applying for local authority sheltered housing. She owns her current house outright but doesn't have much on an income beyond her pension and a small widows pension from my dad. She is quite concerned about how she will pay her rent but also concerned about her house sitting empty for months and associated costs when she moves.

I live quite far away and have a young family therefore selling her house through conventional means would be quite hard for me and probably end up costing alot of money paying viewing agents etc. It's a nice enough house but needs work and is in an area where houses take a long time to sell. There are also not alot of options there in terms of trying to rent it out either.

What I am considering doing is either trying to get an part exchange or even a 'cash buy' and combining the proceeds with a small buy to let mortage to buy a flat near where I live to rent out (where there is much more of a rental market and it would be easier for me and my husband to manage). That way her money would be invested and she would be getting an income from it to help her with her rent. Obviously if her circumstances change and she had to go into a home we would need to re-think and possibly sell the property but I'd just like to come up with some kind of 'plan' to give her the reassurance as and when she does get offered a house.

Wondered if anyone had any experience of this kind of thing or advice they could give me. We are in Scotland which I know has slightly different rules than elsewhere.

missbiggles1

elliq wrote: »

My mum is 81 and we are in the process of applying for local authority sheltered housing. She owns her current house outright but doesn't have much on an income beyond her pension and a small widows pension from my dad. She is quite concerned about how she will pay her rent but also concerned about her house sitting empty for months and associated costs when she moves.

I live quite far away and have a young family therefore selling her house through conventional means would be quite hard for me and probably end up costing alot of money paying viewing agents etc. It's a nice enough house but needs work and is in an area where houses take a long time to sell. There are also not alot of options there in terms of trying to rent it out either.

What I am considering doing is either trying to get an part exchange or even a 'cash buy' and combining the proceeds with a small buy to let mortage to buy a flat near where I live to rent out (where there is much more of a rental market and it would be easier for me and my husband to manage). That way her money would be invested and she would be getting an income from it to help her with her rent. Obviously if her circumstances change and she had to go into a home we would need to re-think and possibly sell the property but I'd just like to come up with some kind of 'plan' to give her the reassurance as and when she does get offered a house.

Wondered if anyone had any experience of this kind of thing or advice they could give me. We are in Scotland which I know has slightly different rules than elsewhere.

You can sell anything if the price is right and the price is very likely to be more than you'd get from a company who would buy it from you for cash.

Surely estate agents in Scotland do the viewings for properties they're selling, just as they do in England?

joerugby

When my father went into sheltered housing we used an Estate Agent to sell his house. We told him we needed a quick sale, he priced it accordingly, dealt with all client contact including viewings and sold it within a month.

We put the proceeds into two savings accounts and he used the interest to supplement his pensions and help pay for his accommodation and care.

PennyForThem_2

Have you considered renting it out? You can get a letting agency to manage it - they usually have access to services which will do maintenance etc. Research on web - they should be affiliated to the relevant association. They will take care of deposits etc.


Unfortunately may have to do self assessment tax form but it will be a simple one.


I rent out a flat I have and all the hard work is done by agency - I don't find it very onerous - maybe something to explore?

lessonlearned

My dad had to go into,sheltered accommodation before we had chance to sell his house.

Of course money was an issue. I applied for council tax benefit and housing benefit and he received both.

His rent was £495 plus service charge of £140. He received HB at a rate of around £330' so it has helped him enormously. He doesn't oay Council Tax on the shelterd accommodation but has to pay 50 per cent on his old house, until such time as it is sold.

He has to find the balance of his rent plus the service charge, plus the utilities and part of the council,tax on his empty house.

Thankfully we now have a buyer, (fingers crossed).

I would suggest you contact Adult Social Services and ask them to set up a meeting with the Welfare Rights Officer, they will help your mum. It is a bit of a maze but there is help out there, it's just a question of being pointed in the right direction.

Does your mum receive Attendance Allowance. when my dad met with the welfare rights people they sorted that out for him as well.

So,what with the HB and the CTB plus the AA he could afford the flat. Without it it couldn't be done. as it is he is still fully independent. If he had remained in his old,home he would have needed carers.

As for getting a quick sale, then you just have to price it low.

Against my advice, dad made the mistake of choosing the EA who gave him the highest valuation and tried to achieve an unrealistic price. He eventually saw the light, agreed to slash the price and he finally has his sale.