Housing issues disabled parent

janemidwood

hi I’m new to this but seeking advice, my dad had a stroke in June and has been left unable to walk assisted. My parents are in rented accommodation which is now not suitable as he cannot get out of their flat which has 3 steps. We have registered fir housing, but yesterday was told they would not qualify as they have sold a house in France , they do not have the money yet and when they do it will be £40k which is above the threshold for housing. We have been searching for suitable accommodation fir months, and not found anything within their budget. My dad is totally fed up now as all they need is a ground floor flat with a walk in shower but if the council will not accommodate who can they go to? 

Ails

Hi @janemidwood and welcome to the Community.  It is nice to meet you and thank you for sharing with us.  I am sorry to hear of your dad's stroke and the problem with housing that your parents face.  Have you tried contacting your local Citizens' Advice Bureau for advice?  I'm sorry, but I'm unable to suggest anything else at this point, but some other members of our Community maybe able to offer some other advice or one of our Community Team.  I hope you get something sorted out for your dad and can understand his frustrations about this.  Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on.  Good luck with it! 

poppy123456

Hi,

Their only option will be to look at renting from a private landlord.

Geoark

If your father is on a disability benefit, DLA, PIP, or Attendance Allowance, he may be eligible for supported housing. I suggest looking at which housing associations operate in the area/s he is interested in living in and checking their website to see if any are available. Otherwise it will need to be renting from a private landlord.

You might find it useful to contact Shelter to see what their options are.

janemidwood

No he’s too old for any type of disability allowance which seems to stop once you reach 65 ?

Geoark

Hi @janemidwood, for over 65's it is attendance allowance.

see: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/attendance-allowance/

Like PIP it is not means tested.

janemidwood

Ah yes, we are currently applying for this, local housing is sovereign who tell me they are above the finance level, will thus change if eligible for this? 

poppy123456

janemidwood said:

Ah yes, we are currently applying for this, local housing is sovereign who tell me they are above the finance level, will thus change if eligible for this? 

No, unfortunately it won't. If you have savings over a certain amount then a lot of housing associations won't accept you. It's affordable homes for those with low income and savings below a certain level.

I see on their website they also deal with privately rented homes too maybe you should look at that for your parents.

https://www.sovereign.org.uk/looking-for-a-home/private-market-rent/

Geoark

With Sovereign it is called extra care housing

https://www.sovereign.org.uk/looking-for-a-home/extra-care-housing/

I have not had any dealings with this type of accommodation, if your parents approached the council then they most likely considered them for general need housing. It has to be worth asking the question.

Rents are generally set at social rent or affordable rent levels, however service charges tend to be higher. These will be split between those that are housing benefit eligible and those that are not. Unfortunately your parents will probably still not be entitled to housing benefits until the amount in savings drop. However if successful it is important to know what charges are not housing benefit eligible.

If your parents are not eligible for this scheme, Sovereign also do market rent accommodation. Chances are they will not be the cheapest, but will unlikely to be the most expensive. Depending where they are in the UK will depend on what the rents are likely to be - to avoid a common misconception, although run by a housing association this is still private renting and will follow the same rules for private renting. However if they may have suitable housing for your father so worth checking.

https://www.sovereign.org.uk/looking-for-a-home/private-market-rent/

Another option might be for sheltered housing, you can find out more at https://www.sovereign.org.uk/looking-for-a-home/supported-housing/  these still provide independent living and their schemes do seem to include individual homes, though the schemes are all located in Berkshire.

Once they have received the money from the sale of their house in France there may be another option, however I would strongly recommend that they get proper advice for, which is to consider shared ownership. As deposits on these type of mortgages are around 5% they can be much more affordable. They will have to meet the mortgage payments, service charges and rent. Although they only owe a share of the property they are treated as leaseholder and so 100% liable for all costs. Having looked at the Sovereign home ownership site, Sovereign Living, they have properties your parents could easily afford, if they can find a mortgage. If house prices increase  it can be difficult to staircase up as any further shares will be sold at the value of the house when they do this. Service charges in blocks of flats can be high especially if there are major works, and likely to have external decs on a regular basis usually around every 5 to 7 years. It can also be a lot cheaper in general compared to private renting. I personally would recommend checking if there is a sinking fund, this would help to offset some of the 

A couple of links for you:

https://www.uswitch.com/mortgages/guides/shared-ownership/
https://www.sovereignliving.org.uk/