House Buying, Disabled, Benefits.

JustSomeGeek

Hi all,

There are 4 of us, all with disabilities, 2 with wheelchairs. We all get some kind of Benefit Support. Even as ex forces with a war pension, there are no suitable homes to be able to rent, so we are looking into trying to buy somewhere to get adapted for us.

Is there somewhere we can turn to for advice, and support? There is a bewildering amount of stuff online, but as we are all Autistic as well, is is really hard to try and navigate through it all.

Can anyone point us towards someone genuine, and helpful?

Thank you

MyRealNameToo

You post covers a wide bunch of topics, the person who's going to advise you on how to adjust a home for wheelchair access and give you an idea of costs is going to be a very different person to the person who can explain the conveyancing process.

It would be much easier to help either if you had specific questions or could at least narrow the the topics you are hoping to consider.

Silvertabby

Have you tried asking SSAFA or the RBL if they can offer any help?

gwynlas

Are you family or a group of friends? Are you looking at some type of group home with seperate facilities and some communal areas?

You could look at contacting a mortgage broker to see if there is any chance you could obtain a mortgage.and the amount that you could borrow.

Depending on where you are in the country there might be suitable property for sale that could be adapted to suit your needs but this would be dependent on budget.

Jude57

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6673837/house-buying-disabled-benefits

In terms of rental properties, have you looked at what local Housing Associations may be able to offer? Some HA's let exclusively to people with additional needs and there may be some near you. Look out especially for those who have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant. Of course, if the 4 of you are looking to live together, that's going to limit your choice of properties. Also, although your local Council's housing may be oversubscribed, with long waiting lists, they will have specialist advisors who can help guide you through the process and signpost you to other local support.

I echo @Silvertabby's suggestion of seeking support SSAFA and RBL. They will have a lot of local knowledge and local contacts who can support you all.

Ms_Chocaholic

Have you thought about Council sheltered housing? If disabled I don't think you need to meet the age restrictions.

Herzlos

The first step would be to talk to a mortgage broker to see what you're likely to be able to afford and what kind of financial arrangement will be suitable for all 4 of you.

For example, it'll be different if it's 2 parents + 2 kids (which would be a pretty standard mortgage), than if it's 4 friends (which would be pretty unusual).

Then with a budget you'd need to try and sort out your list of wants/needs in terms of the house itself and the area. There are likely to be adapted bungalows already on the market from generally elderly people who've moved into care, but they may not be well served by public transport, or not in an area you were considering.

Once you've got your list of wants and needs, talk to as many estate agents as you can in the areas you like, and get them to let you know when anything suitable comes up.

There will almost certainly be charities or advocacy groups local to you who'll be able to help, but I'm not able to advise on who they'd be as it's very location/disability dependent.

Do any of you have a social worker, or other outside care staff you can ask?

Murphybear

I think you are correct. We live in sheltered housing for over 60s or any age if disabled.

theartfullodger

Speak to a couple of big mortgage brokers

Sadly I think it's unlikely but someone might lend the the money.

JustSomeGeek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82047375#Comment_82047375

I've asked H4H so far. Just waiting for someone to get back to me.

JustSomeGeek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82047288#Comment_82047288

Right now, it's just about how we would go about buying somewhere, if there's any assistance for people in our situation, and any downsides to it. Any adaptations can wait until an OT has visited for recommendations.