Hi, my name is AmyRainbow76, and I need some advice about housing. — Scope | Disability forum
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Hi, my name is AmyRainbow76, and I need some advice about housing.

AmyRainbow76
AmyRainbow76 Community member Posts: 10 Listener
I live in a property which I own (mortgaged), and although I've had adaptations and a DFG which converted my bathroom, fitted a stairlift and widened the doors to the front of my house, the property has become unsuitable for my needs.

I have 4 children, who aren't currently living with me because I can't care for them, but need room to accommodate them, and hope that they'll return home one day.

I have multiple seizures every day, so using the stairlift has become unsafe even with a safety belt. The only toilet is upstairs, and even if I get to the top without losing consciousness, the lack of speed has become an issue, and I often soil myself on the way up.

Other problems with the layout mean I can't access the kitchen garden or utility area. As a result I can't get food or drink for myself, I have rely on my husband to get me anything I need.

I'm 41 years old and I feel like a toddler. So what to I do? I can't afford to buy a house that meets my needs. I can't work in order to get a mortgage. My husband can't work because I need round the clock care. 

I've recently looked a low cost housing and help to buy schemes, with no luck. Even if if I could finance a home that met our needs, I'm not sure such a house exists. 6 bedroom bungalows are extremely rare, and biggest property in the low cost housing category was 4 bedroom.

My only other option that I can see is either self build, or converting a warehouse type building into a residential property. I wouldn't have a clue where to look or how to pursue this option.
I don't have a clue who to ask, or where to turn for advice.

I'd almost certainly still have to relocate to a more affordable area, and would love to move to Wales as long as I could still be near the sea, but again don't know if there would be a home improvement agency that could help, or whether I could seek help with a DFG again.

I hope that after selling my house I'd have around £150,000.

So over to you. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Feel free to throw in ideas no matter how impractical they might appear, they might just give me inspiration or a new way of looking at the problem.

Thanks in advance

Amy



Comments

  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AmyRainbow76

    Good mourning & a very big welcome today.

    I do hope that you are ok today ???

    Please please let me know if there is anything I can help you with ???
  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AmyRainbow76, welcome to the community and I hope today is as kind as possible to you.

    I wonder if @Debbie_Scope has any suggestions for you for about your housing situation? You might also like to take a look at our previous Housing and independent living discussions
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi Amy and welcome

    I understand that you want to be able to accomodate your children but at this time your needs are more important. What ages are your children ?

    As you say 6 bed bungalows are very rare, but do you need one all the time ? with all the running costs of a large spread out property ?

    Have you considered first finding a bungalow that suits your needs and then siting a mobile home in the garden for your children to use ?

    Caravans, including mobile homes up to 65x22ft, can be sited in the direct garden of a house without planning permission if they are used by members of the household as additional living space not as independent accommodation. The caravan must be in the 'curtilage' of a dwelling house.

    CR


    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • AmyRainbow76
    AmyRainbow76 Community member Posts: 10 Listener
    Interesting thought!
    My children are 17, 15, 12, & 10.
    The older 3 are my boys, who all have varying degrees of autism. They all need support and prompting throughout the day. My daughter also has additional needs, so I'm not sure how workable your idea is, but I like the lateral thinking 

    thank you 
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Pioneering
    Hi @AmyRainbow76,

    Welcome to the community and thanks for posting here. It's a really interesting query.  

    Are you out of the disabled facilities grant period of 5 years? One of the eligibility criteria for a grant is that you intend to live in the property for the period of the grant which is 5 years. If you sell before then, you might have to pay back the grant you were awarded.

    Are you in receipt of any of the means-tested benefits which are being replaced with Universal Credit? If you are and you're also/or receiving support for mortgage interest, are you aware of the changes to this benefit next April? 
    Your options might be restricted if you're in receipt of means-tested benefits.

    There are some important changes to the welfare benefits system coming and they're going to have a big impact. 

    If you're not in receipt of any means-tested benefits you might still be affected by changes to the economy such as a rise in interest rates. Mortgage lending could be affected. Strict mortgage affordability tests were tightened up earlier on in the year. Lenders and buyers might become a bit nervous about future borrowing especially when you factor in Brexit. These changes might start happening from today with the Bank of England raising interest rates. Although we're not expecting a series of rate rises, times are uncertain.

    I know that I haven't specifically answered your query but I feel that you may face more barriers than you're aware of. Once we've addressed these issues, only then can we look at the more specific issues with finding suitable housing, which presents a problem in itself idue to the lack of properties which have 6 bedrooms either in the private or social market. 

    I hope to hear back from you and that we can talk through some of the issues. If you're not comfortable talking in public we can arrange to talk in a private setting. Just let me know and we'll take it from there.  

    Best wishes
    Debbie

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