Moving from mortgaged home to council home

Benefits, finances and funding
1

Could anybody help me with this problem?

I am a carer for my husband who is very disabled due to a stroke 11 years ago, he also suffers from COPD and becomes very breathless on any exertion. Our current mortgaged home has now become unsuitable as he is confined to one room with no access to showering/bathing facilities or a flushable toilet. We need a level access property but cannot afford to buy outright and there are no suitable shared ownership properties available locally.

We are on the local council housing register and are in the process of applying for suitable adapted properties. However, if we are offered a property and our present home takes a while to sell we would not be able to afford to pay both rent & mortgage.

Would we be eligible for housing benefit perhaps until the house is sold? I have spoken to the council about this but not getting any clear advice at all.

Thank you.

2

Hi Rubeckia.

Housing ?

Look no further than SHELTER … the acknowledged experts in this field :

Claiming benefits for two homes - Shelter England

Contact details :

Get help from Shelter - Shelter England

3

As well as owning your home …

The capital on saving for housing benefit is £16,000.

4

Contact the Housing Department and ask if they have a scheme to take on empty property and then use if for people on the housing register, or if they have a house swop scheme.

RED FLAG
If you stay where you are and have the house adapted, then the council will pay towards your OH’s care. As soon as you have over £46,000 you will have to pay the FULL cost of any care. So I’d urge you to either adapt your current house, with a Disabled Facilities Grant, or buy a different property instead.