Parent moving near to us?

Question

My mother needs to move to the same town as us for family reasons. She is 62 and a widow. She is currently in a housing association house and doesnt pay any rent as her rent is paid for her through her pensions, war widows pension etc, housing benefit.

Our town is quite expensive but we really need her nearby and she is desperate to move here too. The rented properties here are around the £700-800 mark per month for a 2 bedroom property (my neice also lives with her). She thinks she will not be able to afford this amount per month, plus utility bills etc.

If she does an exchange with someone in our town who wants to move to hers, does anyone know how housing associations work? Is there a waiting list, criteria to be met etc.

Or is there any other way at all - could she obtain a mortgage at age 62?? with many thanks

Answer 1

If she has a secure or assured tenancy with her housing association (which most do) as opposed to an assured shorthold tenancy, she can do a mutual exchange with any housing association or local authority tenant in the country. This is where the two (or sometimes 3) tenants involved swop actual tenancies rather than just the properties. This would be difficult to arrange though because it would be hard to find someone to exchange with. She should ask her housing association if there is anyone on their waiting list from that area. Some are more helpful than others so she might not get any joy there but they may look it up and contact the other person to see if they want an exchange. Its worth a try.

There are some criteria for mutual exchange, particularly in areas of high demand. Both rent accounts have to clear, neither can have had action taken against them for anti-social behaviour, and the major one is no underoccupation(i.e. if she wants to move to a 2 bedroom property, the other landlord may say no as she only has a 1 bedroom need). None of these criteria are set in law so it is at the descretion of the housing associations involved.

Luckily though, a lot of sheltered housing is difficult to let. It's worth getting on the waiting list She may not be able to move to the best part of town and she will only get a one bedroom flat (unless she is really lucky) but wherever she lives, sheltered housing is very secure and generally a very pleasant place to live.

Answer 2

In the States, some properties have what is called a "mother-in-law" apartment. It's a smaller dwelling on the same property as the main house. That's convenient if you have a relative that needs someone close by but you don't want them right in the home with you all the time.

Answer 3

Go directly to your local council housing office and explain the situation.There are quite a lot of sheltered housing bungalows available for the over 50s all over the UK and not very long waiting lists.If she is already in a housing association property then it should be easy to exchange,again the housing office should advise you.

Answer 4

I take it you are in UK. How about talking to a couple of local housing associations www.housing.gov.org may help
or just look up housing associations