Move from Council House to Care Home

SPARKSWILLFLY

Apologies, first of all, if I have posted this thread in the incorrect area of the forum. Anyway, here goes....

Principally, my question is this:- Is it standard procedure for elderly (i.e. vulnerable) people who are former council tenants, to be billed for carpet uplifts etc if they move into full time residential care?

I ask because my mum, aged 88 with a mild form of Alzheimers has been recently been admitted to a local care home after having lived in her (what started off as a family) home for almost 50 years. I live in my own property but I took on the responsibility of clearing and moving furniture from the property because, really I wouldn't want it any other way given the time spent living there with everything, not least personal and sentimental effects, that had would have built up over the years. An unenviable task, certainly because it was an ordeal getting it all sorted out (it was a four apartment). Nevertheless, a necessary evil.

After a lot of time and effort, I am now happy to say that everthing has been cleared out of the house, save for carpets and blinds. I have informed the council of this and a property inspection is imminent before I hand in the keys. Apparently, it will all depend on this inspection whether the carpets stay or go. That's fair enough, but if it is the latter, the council say that I will have to either get someone to lift them all or they will do it and bill me for the trouble. Really? Can they do this? I told them that I am not in a financial position to do this (I'm not, I have my own property will a mortgage and my own utility bills to take care of) so I reckon that they will then have to bill my mum who is now in a care home.

I am absolutely stressing out about this and both heartbroken and disgusted, but is this really how the process works? If, say an elderly person had no family, would this same procedure apply and would the council then request that the funds from the former tenant's savings account to pay for the costs? If not, why should it happening to me with my mum? Is it because I am just too convenient a contact and they are takin advantage of this to save themselves paying for it and cutting costs? Surely that's discrimination. :mad:

Hope someone can help/advise as I am going out of my mind with worry over this.

Thank you

Torry_Quine

The only person liable is your mum not you, it would be different if it had been a joint tenancy.

Have you got power of attorney for her?

SPARKSWILLFLY

Torry_Quine wrote: »

The only person liable is your mum not you, it would be different if it had been a joint tenancy.

Have you got power of attorney for her?

Thanks for replying, Torry.

That is still pretty mean-spirited, allthesame, especially given the circumstances. I figured she may be exempt as classed as a vulnerable person. So much for that logic!

I am in the process of obtaining POA. Got third party mandate for mum's bank accounts and am an appointee for her for DWP dealings in the meantime.

da_rule

Something that might be worth checking is her tenancy agreement. Does she actually have a contractual duty to remove the floor coverings at the end of the tenancy? If not, ask them exactly where your mother has agreed to be liable for any such costs.

JP1978

Firstly, sorry to hear about your mum, must be a big thing to lose her independance, although been in a home may bring some peace of mind for you.

Anyway, who else would be responsible other than your mum (or you if a joint tenancy)?. If you rented a private flat, do you think that the LL would want an old carpet in there?

No, so exactly the same with the council.

If the carpet is in good condition and will be suitable for the next tenant at least to give them a start for a while, they will say its ok to leave.

Worst case scenario, there will be some odd job man/service advertised on the facebook 'sale' or 'facebay' groups that will probably do this for you and will be cheap - it's not exactly a skilled trade that would be needed. Would suggest you go along to sweep up after the carpet/gripper/underlay is removed though. Or, if the carpet is not quite good enough for the council to allow to remain, there are free-cycle (recycle) sites that may have users that will have the carpets and lift them for free.

AnotherJoe

Are you sure the person there said they would bill you ? There is no basis on which to do that, how could there be?

As to whether they can bill your mother, I suppose so, depends on her financial circumstances, try citizens advice. If she is liable, it might be cheaper to remove it yourself or pay someone, where you at least control the costs, though if you take a weekend cutting up the carpets and taking them to the dump yourself, you won't have the costs that a commercial operation would have disposing of them, which can be substantial aside their actual charges.

marliepanda

If your mother got the house with bare floors and the carpets are unsuitable, then yes they need to be removed.

Otherwise it's the council paying or the incoming tenant. Which wouldn't be fair on either really.

It may seem harsh but that's fair, if, as I said, she received the property with bare floors and did not have to uplift a precious tenants old carpets

Keep_pedalling

I cleared my mum's council bungalow out last year after she moved into a care home, and yes if I had not cleared out the carpets and blinds the council would have charged her to do this.

May not seem fair but things like carpets blinds and curtains are the responsibility of the tenants and cash strapped councils are reluctant to pay for things they don't need to. My mum was getting housing benefit and now has LA funding for her care so I don't really have any complaints about having clear her place out fully.

G_M

She's a council tenant, and so she is liable for whatever the tenancy agreement says.

It makes no difference whether she wins the lottary and moves to Barbados, gets a mortgage and buys her own house, or moves to a care home.

Liability is limited to the tenant or tenants. If you are a joint tenant, you are liable. If you are not, you are not.

Hopefully you have POAfor your mother and can therefore manage her affairs for her.

This may seem cold but I'm afraid the law is frigid and takes no account of personal tragedy (unless a 3rd party caused that tragedy).

Jackieboy

SPARKSWILLFLY wrote: »

Thanks for replying, Torry.

That is still pretty mean-spirited, allthesame, especially given the circumstances. I figured she may be exempt as classed as a vulnerable person. So much for that logic!

I am in the process of obtaining POA. Got third party mandate for mum's bank accounts and am an appointee for her for DWP dealings in the meantime.

She could be vulnerable but still have enough money to have the carpets taken up - the two issues are quite separate.

SPARKSWILLFLY

JP1978 wrote: »

Firstly, sorry to hear about your mum, must be a big thing to lose her independance, although been in a home may bring some peace of mind for you.

Anyway, who else would be responsible other than your mum (or you if a joint tenancy)?. If you rented a private flat, do you think that the LL would want an old carpet in there?

No, so exactly the same with the council.

If the carpet is in good condition and will be suitable for the next tenant at least to give them a start for a while, they will say its ok to leave.

Worst case scenario, there will be some odd job man/service advertised on the facebook 'sale' or 'facebay' groups that will probably do this for you and will be cheap - it's not exactly a skilled trade that would be needed. Would suggest you go along to sweep up after the carpet/gripper/underlay is removed though. Or, if the carpet is not quite good enough for the council to allow to remain, there are free-cycle (recycle) sites that may have users that will have the carpets and lift them for free.

Thanks for your kind words. It means a lot, especially at the moment because I am feeling very let down with all this on top of the emotional stress which has gone before it. :beer:

The carpets are only 2 years old, weren't cheap and look in really lovely condition to me and many others who have seen them recently. I am maybe getting worked up over nothing, but I wasn't expecting the council to be quite so merciless and demanding given the situation and knowing my mum has been in there since 1968 (when it started as a family home). One thing, though, she made sure it was kept in really beautiful shape and was made sure she got the decorators in every so often and had replaced her carpets every 5 or so years. It was her pride and joy. I am hoping that this will stand her in good stead.

Will defo consider the Freecycle guys, never thought of them. That is if it is worse case scenario...