Housing for disabled daugher

Twighlightyears

Hi, I’m looking for advice on ways to help my daughter and myself. Any help or pointers would be great. Apologies for length but background may help. She has a physical health diagnosis and past mental health diagnoses. She receives maximum PIP and other benefits as it is considered she cannot work. She is private renting with a friend 200 miles away from me but as her health has deteriorated, she needs more care and her friend (who has been great over the years) wants to move in with her boyfriend. My daughter wants to come back to where I live.

Her benefits and housing benefit mean she can afford a flat privately but where we are the demand far outstrips supply and we have been told by a letting agent that no private landlord will rent to anyone on benefits/disabled as they always have so many prospective to choose from so just rent to good salary/permanent contract people. I can see why. Citing discrimination won’t help as it’s not a refusal to rent a property that would otherwise remain vacant, it’s just picking one of many applicants.

Daughter has applied to join council house list here – she has a local connection case and a ‘lets rent’ scheme as she is arguably likely to be homeless because living with me is a problem, both on house layout not having a toilet/bathroom on the same floor as the bedroom and my wife (her step mum) saying it can’t happen. If it was up to me, she could live in the lounge/diner, the only downstairs room except bathroom and kitchen. Living with her biological mum also complex as she has very early onset dementia and needs more and more care in the home and soon will have to move to a supported living arrangement. The house would work logistically but the psychological impact on my daughter and her mum would be huge. No other family to take my daughter in. I assume any council backed home will be years away.

I have considered renting a property for my daughter and I to live in. I could afford it but only if our house is sold as it has £130K outstanding mortgage on a £280K value house so I can’t pay mortgage and rent. My daughter can’t get housing benefit if not on a tenancy and so can’t help pay the rent. If we joint applied, I’m told it would look ‘weird’ to a lettings agency or landlord so we’d never get a look in.

A nuclear option is my wife and I sell our house and we both rent or buy, and I live with my daughter. Renting is doable, more for me than my wife and whilst my wife and I recognise our marriage is toxic at times and we’d be happier living separately, my wife does not want a drop in living standards. I can see that.

I appreciate my daughter’s best option might be to ask the council where she is for help and short term that might work. I can go up and see her, but I worry about her mental health as her friendships have dwindled and her level of disability is such that she is effectively housebound and at times cannot leave her bed. On her own that could be catastrophic.

So my questions are:

Is it true that private rentals now in effect exclude the disabled/benefits/zero hours contracts etc?

If I rented a place could my daughter live with me but not on the tenancy or would I be subletting?

My wife and I are mid 50s. If we sold our house are there any schemes such as part ownership that mean we could buy part of a place each that would leave enough each month to live on. I think older people’s shared ownership has ended? We’d have maybe £60k capital each (we have no savings) after house sale. I take home £2800, my wife £2200, both in public sector jobs with good pensions.

Thanks in advance.

 

 

jonnydeppiwish!

Get in contact with the local disability charities/support. They’d be the best point of call for this situation. They’ll normally know where and when some types of properties become available

Twighlightyears

Brief update. A family member who works in lettings was able to help persuade a landlord to agree a private rental - for a years rental in advance and me as guarantor. We were lucky and able to get this to work. So many other disabled people cannnot.

FindMyWayBack

Have you considered a HOLD mortgage for your daughter?
https://www.helptobuyagent2.org.uk/help-to-buy/hold

Twighlightyears

FindMyWayBack said:

Have you considered a HOLD mortgage for your daughter?

I had no idea about these and no-one in CAB or my local carers charity mentioned these. I’ll take a good look! Thank you.

gwynlas

If your daughter is now living in your area she should still be trying to get social housing for long term security. They might have some properties that already have adaptations and be reluctant to let them to someone without additional needs, Also she could make contact with any charities that cover her condition as they might have access to money to help with any further aids to living. Given your age and her history of living independently it would be far better for her to retain as much indepence as possible even if this means having carers in to assist when needed rather than yourself.