Advice on buying council property

k_m_b82

I am new to this site & looking for advice.

I will be as brief as possible with my query.

I am hoping to purchase a council property and would be a first time buyer.

My parents have been Council tenants for over 47 years, they have resided in the property they are now in for 44 years. I, myself, whilst not on the tenancy have lived here all my life (38 years) and so too has my 13 year old daughter. My parents are now both in their early 70s and do not work due to being of pension age & poor health. They would, therefore, we imagine, be unable to obtain a mortgage for purchasing the property. I myself work full time and would be more than happy to apply for a mortgage and pay the monthly repayments.

I am under the impression that it is only the named tenant that has Right to Buy, and that a Family member can only ‘Join’ an application with the tenant, they can’t apply in their own right. I am wondering if this is correct would it be a better option to ask the council to put my name on the tenancy and then look at applying to buy the property? And would this still mean my parents would have to be applicants on a mortgage?

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

justworriedabit

Phone the council tomorrow and ask. in the past when the gov taxpayers property away, anyone could buy it on the behalf of those entitiled to the discount.

Poss good news, read section 8 but please do your own reserch and phone the coucil

https://righttobuy.gov.uk/help/questions-and-answers/

[Deleted User]

k_m_b82 said:

I am new to this site & looking for advice.

I will be as brief as possible with my query.

I am hoping to purchase a council property and would be a first time buyer.

My parents have been Council tenants for over 47 years, they have resided in the property they are now in for 44 years. I, myself, whilst not on the tenancy have lived here all my life (38 years) and so too has my 13 year old daughter. My parents are now both in their early 70s and do not work due to being of pension age & poor health. They would, therefore, we imagine, be unable to obtain a mortgage for purchasing the property. I myself work full time and would be more than happy to apply for a mortgage and pay the monthly repayments.

I am under the impression that it is only the named tenant that has Right to Buy, and that a Family member can only ‘Join’ an application with the tenant, they can’t apply in their own right. I am wondering if this is correct would it be a better option to ask the council to put my name on the tenancy and then look at applying to buy the property? And would this still mean my parents would have to be applicants on a mortgage?

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Getting the popcorn out for this 

HampshireH

The council won't just put the tenancy into your name so that's a no go.


Your a working adult who can afford to buy a house therefore you have no need for social housing. Your parents we can only assume are joint tenants.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/council_housing_association/assigning_a_tenancy


Hae a search on the forum for right to buy and have a read. You will find some great threads

On a side note I can't remember the last time I saw a serious thread on RTB by the actual tenant.

[Deleted User]

Why do you want to buy your parents council house?
Are you aware of the many costs and responsibilities that come with home ownership?
Are your parents aware of the many pitfalls that come with RTB and losing their council tenancy?
Do your parents even want you to buy their council house? Have you asked them?

I'm sorry, but I can't see you getting much encouragement on here. We see these types of questions all too often and its always the same - someone wants to buy their parents/grandparents council house, often trying to disguise it as an 'act of kindness', when really they just want to buy a house at a huge discount with the view that they can either sell it or rent it out in the future for a huge profit, whilst at the same time diminishing the councils already depleted stock of council properties meant for providing a home to those in need. 

TBagpuss

Ask the council. They are the only ones who will be able to tell you whether you can be added to the tenancy and if you re added, whether / how that would affect any RTB.

If you were able to be added (or were able to buy jointly with your parents) you'd need to speak to a mortgage adviser about mortgages - you can't generally have a mortgage where the borrowers are different to the people who own the house, so your parents would need to be on the mortgage. 

There's not any benefit to your parents in you buying the house - as things stand, they have secure, low cost housing with the council being responsible for all of the maintenance etc. They would also potentially be able to move to a smaller / accessible council property in the future if they become inform and need somewhere more suitable. 

If you both the house, there would be risk of you wanting to sell later on - for instance of you needed to move for work, or if you were to marry or start a new relationship. equally, in the even that you lost your job or otherwise got into financial difficulty, and were unable to pay the mortgage, there would be risk that the house would be repossessed and your parents would lose their home.

As you mention that you are working and could afford a mortgage, perhaps the sensible thing to do would be for you to look into buying somewhere for yourself - start to save for a deposit. Maybe look to buy a flat near your parents so you can continue to help them out, or if you can afford a large enough deposit, buy to let with a view to moving into the property yourself when the time comes. 

Alternatively, look at building up other savings - stocks and shares ISA, perhaps, with a view to having a chunky deposit if/when the time comes for you to move.

If the council says that you can be added to the tenancy then that would give you a bit more security in future to enable you to either stay in the property orexchange with a smaller council property, when your needs reduce. 

strawb_shortcake

Our neighbours are doing similar, from what they have said the Son had to be on the tenancy for 12 months before they could consider it. 

The Son also had to sign a document to say he wouldn't make his parents homeless - not sure what the legal position would be on this. 

The main benefits to the parents are that when he starts paying a mortgage they can stop being responsible for the rent so will be £5-600 better off a month and they won't be paying rent in their retirement.

There are potential downsides but I guess it's a case of crossing that bridge when/if it comes or finding a way to mitigate those risks before they arise

KxMx

Might be a non starter anyway, my local council don't allow inter family joint tenancies, only allowed between a couple in a relationship. 

Mildreds_Earrings

@k_m_b82 It's not just a matter of adding your name to the Tenancy. You would have to prove you lived there for at least 12 months and it won't be something simple like a mobile phone bill. We will ask whether Council Tax, GP, school, etc is registered in your name at that address and we will ask for proof. The Council will also ask why your name needs to be added to the Tenancy Agreement if both parents are alive? As Councils don't like losing their housing stock, be prepared for them to thoroughly investigate the RTB application.

Many relatives who we have never heard from before put their RTB application 12 months and 1 day after providing evidence and then wah wah wah when the application is declined. We can see family members' influence a mile away. Poor parents. 

HampshireH

KxMx said:

Might be a non starter anyway, my local council don't allow inter family joint tenancies, only allowed between a couple in a relationship. 

Quite common.

NameUnavailable

k_m_b82 said:

My parents are now both in their early 70s and do not work due to being of pension age & poor health.

Seriously, your parents are better off staying as council tenants. If or when the time comes that they need help in their old age, they will be much better off as tenants.

My parents lived in a council property - I did think of looking into buying it with them but I was honestly worried about being responsible for their home, i.e. if I was made redundant or something and had trouble paying the mortgage etc.

As it happens they got older and had ill health. My father died and my mum started struggling on her own. As it was a desirable council property the powers that be did all they could to find a sheltered/warden assisted flat that my mum was happy to move to, close to where I lived, and it was the best thing she could have done. That wouldn't have been available if I'd bought the flat, and I'd still have worried about her every time I was away with work etc.

OTOH a mate of mine whose parents owned their home (mortgage paid off), the dad started suffering from dementia, so bad in the end that the mother couldn't cope and he had to go into a home, at a cost of £7K per month. Their retirement savings were fast running out and the house was going to have to be sold to keep paying the bills. As it happens he caught Covid and died, when Boris wasn't too bothered about care homes. Upsetting but kind of a release for everyone.