Help and advice about housing options for my mum with severe COPD

A question about : Help and advice about housing options for my mum with severe COPD

Hello,

I hope this is the right part of the forum to ask this question in - please direct me elsewhere if it isn't and accept my apologies as this is my first post (it's also quite long!)!

A bit of background:

My 67 year old mum has severe COPD (diagnosed about 8 years ago) and gets State Pension, Pension credit and mobility allowance. She has no private pension and no savings under Ј3000. She owns 2/3 of her own house - the other 1/3 is owned by friends who sold the house to her and retained a share when she couldn't afford the full market value she has the controlling share and any decisions about selling the house are hers alone (this was drawn up in a legal agreement at time of purchase). She lives on her own (out of choice) in a remote area down 1.5 miles of fairly rough track, 3 miles from nearest village and 40 miles form the nearest hospital. I live 300 ish miles away in the South West and have no siblings. Her house is heated via a back boiler on coal fire plus storage heaters. the house is a fairly oddly constructed and laid out barn conversion attached to the old farmhouse which is separate dwelling not owned by my mum. Access to the house form where vehicles can be parked is down a slope and she has difficulty great walking from the house to the car as that is up the slope. TBH, the house and it's location are no longer suitable given her health.

The Saturday before Christmas (20th Dec) she was admitted to hospital as she had developed a severe chest infection and needed IV antibiotics and non invasive ventilation. This was obviously a big shock for her and she is still recuperating. She came out of hospital on 29th Dec and spent time with a friend who has a bungalow and now is down at her sisters in Wales, but that is only a tenable solution for the next 2 or 3 months. I offered for her to stay at my house but she didn't want to come here as the house isn't suitable (steps up to house front and back plus upstairs toilet etc) plus she doesn't want to be in a city as she has lived in a rural location for many years. She is getting better and is no longer on oxygen but her COPD will remain severe. She has realized that she can no longer stay in her house but she needs time to regain her strength before being in a position to look at options. I have offered to sell my (mortagaged) house and buy a house with attached flat for her but that isn't an option she wants.

So my questions are these:

1/ Is there any state help available to help people find other accommodation if their own house is unsuitable for health reasons and doesn't sell quickly?

(The area my mum lives in is one where houses can take a very long time to sell - her last house was sold in (I think) 2002 and was on the market for 18months. Obviously something like webuyanyhouse.com would be ideal but I have heard that deals are not good and offers may be reduced just before completion.)

2/ Would she be able to raise a mortgage based on her equity in the house to help her buy another house - on the grounds that the mortgage (or majority of it) would be paid back on sale of current house.

3/ If she put her 2/3 of the house in joint names with me (or transferred it all to me) would I be likely to be able to raise a mortgage to help her buy a new house based on my equity in that house, taking into account that I already have a joint mortgage on the house I live in, albeit a fairly small mortgage?

4/ any other options anyone can think of? My primary concern here is my mother's welfare not protecting the capital in the property for me to inherit - tbh I'm not in the least bothered about that - I just want to see the best outcome which is least troublesome for my mum.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this - if anyone can help/offer advice it will be most gratefully received

Best answers:

• sounds mum wants to remain independent and in her own home.
  For those on certain benefits you can get grants to make home improvements, such as eco boilers, ramps in and out of the property etc.
  TBH moving from the sticks into a high populated area could make mum worse with the air pollution quality.
  I would try and look at the simplest cheapest options to aid existing living in her current dwelling. government schemes, social services can also assist with adaptions to steps etc.
• Thanks for the reply. You are correct in that she wants to remain independent and in her own home. However, she herself has decided that she can't stay in that house any longer (largely in part due to the shock of having to be taken into hospital and because she has come to realization that she can't really cope in that location anymore) hence I don't think any amount of grants for improvements etc would be helpful - she is already spending at least 2 months a year at her sisters due to risk of being snowed in over winter. In terms of where she would want to move she would ideally want to look at a bungalow (or house adapted with stair lift etc) down in the valley in one of the nearby(ish) small rural towns or villages rather than into a more built up area.
• The other co-owners may be amenable to buying her share of ownership from her which would be the quickest and most straightforward way of getting rid of the property.
  Before that happens she needs to decide what are her needs and what simply her wants. An OT assessment would be helpful with this.
• My Aunt had breathing problems like your Mum and found that her best option was to move to a single level retirement flat. She sold her house cheaply in order to get a fairly quick sale and was able to buy her flat outright with some money over. Does your Mum know what area she wants to live in? If she registers with local housing associations, then they will have lists of available properties.
• Could your mum move into sheltered housing. I'm not sure what area she lives in but there is some excellent Council run sheltered housing in our area (rural).
  If that was the case she could move before the house was sold. Due to her health problems she would be given priority too.
• Thanks everyone.
  Not sure the co-owners would want to buy her out but agree it would be ideal if they did.
  Bungalows in her area are few and far between and expensive when they do come up. Social housing options are limited, so the best option might be altering a house and getting an assessment done while she is in the current house would help when looking for the other house.
  Do you think, on just a state pension (plus mobility) but with equity in the house, she would stand a chance of getting a mortgage?
• Not all councils operate the same system
  Some councils have a system which prioritises people with particular circumstances.
  I could be worth checking how several councils operate in areas your mum has links with and might want to live.
• Is there a village or small town nearby that she would not mind moving to. Her condition is going to deteriorate and it is better to do it now than later.
  Local authorities will assess a persons medical needs for sheltered or assisted living.
  Her GP could write on her behalf to the local authority or if you ask for an Occupational therapy assessment they can also liaise with the LA.
  It does not matter that she has her own property. Check with the Local authority where she lives.
  Mum also needs to look at what will happen if she needs help. Would she move nearer to her family?