Dad buying council house

the_other_mce

thecolour wrote: »

Who own it anyway....

This is how council housing was designed. You use it until you don't need it anymore then give it back so someone else can use it.



Immigrants do not bypass the queue. If they did there'd be riots. You're being alarmist with this remark.

Actually they do. Council housing/housing association properties are now allocated on a need basis. (used to be length of time on waiting list). Therefore an immigrant couple with 8 children living in one room would be perceived as having a greater need than a single mum or young couple with 1/2 young children living in the same type of room. Although I can see the logic to a point it does penalise people who have lived in a certain area all their lives. The young couple will be awarded points each year but more 'needy' cases come into the area and get housed quicker.
Sounds harsh but it is the way things work at the moment.

I actually don't blame your dad for wanting to buy his house to help his family. He has paid rent for 40 years, and maintained the property. Look into ways that the family can help him - either by getting a joint mortgage (you may need to be a resident) or borrowing money between you to buy the house outright/ or large deposit.
Good Luck.

diesel9181

if the house is adapted for a disabled person the council may not even be able to sell it. im probably wrong but i thougt if you had been on benefits for 12 months prior to attempting to purchase the council property you live in you are refused. i believe the whole system of council house sales is flawed but the system is there to be abused and nothing seems to be done about it. seriously what happens when the uk runs out of council houses?

the_other_mce

dontshootthemessenger wrote: »

What a pity your father didn't think of leaving something for his children ten years ago or so when we were at the bottom of the property cycle rather than (as many now believe we are) at the top.

Even with the discount, when the crash hits (and it will hit council houses in spades) you might well find that your 'inheritance' is a big fat debt.

And I, for one, will shed no tears.

I make no apologies for the harsh tone of this response. Your father is disabled and is rightly housed and provided for financially by the state.

He has nothing to leave you. Tough sh*t. Why should I, along with other UK taxpayers provide you with a legacy ?

What a vile comment from a selfish person!!! His dad has paid rent for 40 years....
And why do you think any crash will hit ex-council houses worse? Maybe the crash will affect the awful little boxy houses on pretentious estates that are already over-priced.
Most ex council houses are sturdy, well built properties with decent sized gardens, driveways and large rooms...... unlike houses built in the last 10-15 years....

SquatNow

pickles110564 wrote: »

Get a life Squit Now, good on him wanting to buy and setting up a nice nest egg for his family.

I wish everyone thought and cared about their loved ones.

Your attitude stinks as all ways, move to russia and do everybody a favour and let us do what we can to help and provide a secure future for our loved ones

I have no objection to someone who works hard all their life building up a nest egg to pass onto their children. But that's not what's being talked about here is it? Were talking about someone who is provided for by the state fleecing the taxpayer. He hasn't EARNED that house, it was provided for his use by the taxpayer.

And please stick to the topic rather than making random insults.

SquatNow

the_other_mce wrote: »

What a vile comment from a selfish person!!! His dad has paid rent for 40 years....

So if I rent a house privately for a while I should be entitled to keep it?

How long should I have to rent for before my private landlord is legally required to sell the house to me...?

Actually is a great idea you've got there. Remove the ability for private landlords to increase rents above inflation or turf tennants out, and give the tennants the right to buy the property from the private landlord at a massively reduced rate.

If the tennant can't get a mortgage, then force the landlord to lend them the money.

Yes I like your idea. I wonder how many private landlords would stick around if that became law? Can you guess? Yup, NONE. Because they'de be bankrupted. So why is it OK if the landlord is the taxpayer?

krisskross

the_other_mce wrote: »

His dad has paid rent for 40 years....

And in return he has had a home to live in. That argument is rather like me saying I have bought my groceries at Tesco for 40 years and therefore they now owe me something. I have had the food I paid for, he has had the home he or the taxpayers have paid for.

Isn't it odd how often this scenario crops up? Never when the tenant is young and paying his own way but always when the person is a pensioner/disabled. I sincerely hope no mortgage is available for the purchase of this property so it can be a legacy for his family, paid for by the taxpayers.

JasonLVC

diesel9181 wrote: »

if the house is adapted for a disabled person the council may not even be able to sell it.

Just to clarify a few of the more recent posts :-

If the property has been adapted for disabled use, the Council have a duty not to sell it as they'd be losing very much sought after stock and so the law permits them to block a sale, depending upon the extent of the adaptions. I refused a sale years ago on that basis, especially as we'd just spent £20k putting in downstairs toilets and bedrooms for the man, then he put a RTB in and so we had to cancel it.

Council rents are heavily subsidised by central government to ensure they are lower than equivalent private rents - so all taxpayers fund council properties (and doesn't come from council tax - that's for everything else, council rent grants are ring-fenced just for council houses).

There are big risks in purchasing a council property when there is limited income, especially in the current climate of sub-prime lenders tightening up their lending. The house cannot be sold for at least 5 years and that includes if gifted to family members upon death. Repairs will be owners responsibility and tenant may get rent allowances at the moment but will lose any rent allowance once he becomes an owner.

If the property is repossessed, the council has no legal duty to rehouse someone who can't pay their bills so may end up homeless. Unless the OP is willing to pay the mortgage costs directly (but the property will still be in father's name) of course. Not wanting to put anyone off - just be careful, it's a big and long-term debt commitment for ayone, let alone someone with no income. Councils rarely offer loans to RTB's as they are only allocated a small amount each financial year and so will not be the miracle answer to the question but is still worth asking about for sure. If they do offer a mortgage loan it will usually be a 100% mortgage but with above avergae high street APR's or on par with high street APR's but certainly not the best or flexible deal around.

As for conveyancers, the council are selling the house, they will do everything - value it and start the legal process. The tenant simply needs to get a mortgage and solicitor to handle the paperwork.

As for immigrants getting priority - never heard such racist scaremongering since I stopped reading the Daily Mail. 'It's all them darkies taking our homes' is just so not the reality I'm afraid and is more to do with racism than fact.

House scoring is based upon need for sure but not necessarily children or colour or race. Scoring has always happened and is based upon a number of different factors - it has never been about local homes for local people - always about need. A man coming out of prison will be in more need than a single Mum kicked out by her parents (as she still has a home, just doesn't get on with Mum - not good enough excuse to get a house).

There are just as many white, Scottish dole scroungers with 8 kids as there are polish or muslim families (indeed, many foreigners tend to have less children statistically than UK white families), the number of white women who 'live' with their partner and then get rehoused due to 'domestic violence' just so that then both he and she can then get 2 x right to buys is scarily high.

Finally, the irony is as more people buy their councils houses there are less in circulation (and few are being built) and so as more people have needs, the scoring has to be reviewed to tighten up each time. So if immigrants do eventually end up in yars to come being in most need, it'll be becuase everyone else in less need purchased their council house.

dontshootthemessenger

the_other_mce wrote: »

What a vile comment from a selfish person!!! His dad has paid rent for 40 years....
And why do you think any crash will hit ex-council houses worse? Maybe the crash will affect the awful little boxy houses on pretentious estates that are already over-priced.
Most ex council houses are sturdy, well built properties with decent sized gardens, driveways and large rooms...... unlike houses built in the last 10-15 years....

Sticks and stones blah, blah, blah.

I have no objection to his father buying the property with his own money, but that is not what is being discussed.

As for price falls, please read the following article.

http://money.guardian.co.uk/property/firsttimebuyers/story/0,,2166940,00.html

Near the bottom of the article you will find the following:

"But before you take the plunge you should consider saleability. Ex local-authority homes don't rise in value as quickly or as much as their neighbours, says Dogger. And they are harder to sell if the market falls."

Does that answer your question ?

moneysavinmonkey

pickles110564 wrote: »

I wish everyone thought and cared about their loved ones.

Your attitude stinks as all ways, move to russia and do everybody a favour and let us do what we can to help and provide a secure future for our loved ones

Whilst I agree it's nice that the OPs dad wants to provide for his loved ones
(if that is indeed the case - reading between the lines this may be the OPs idea!) I think the OP should return the favour though and stop his Dad from taking a gamble just to provide him with an inheritance. I'm sure there are easier ways that you can make your own money than by risking your old dad's home.

tr3mor

I think it's crazy that the OP's Dad is considering this. Surely he's onto a good thing in a council home especially if he's disabled.

The council will keep the house maintained, they should also provide any adaptations needed as he gets older. If he buys the house he'll be responsible for all the maintenance and adaptations. If he ever needs to go into a nursing home for a long period of time the house will have to be sold anyway.

I get the impression, like others, that the OP wants his Dad to buy the house mostly to leave some inheritance. Personally I think this is a disgusting attitude and I hope the OP's Dad leaves any money he has to a worthwhile charity.