islandwoman120

Housing 21 has been easy to work with - one phone call gets an application form sent to your address and there is no money involved. The application process is straightforward, and once you are accepted you are given a client number. The web site shows all places available for rent in any particular location - though the website is not always up to date, so it is advisable to call the apartment complex you are interested in to make certain. They are known as 'Courts'. The rental prices are lower than private rental, there are no letting fees, many have pet policies in place, meaning they will accept small pets such as dogs or cats, and there is no deposit for that either. They are like the council in this respect, and all take Housing Benefits. Some are organised as Housing Associations and the benefits for living there are more - I don't understand how this is set up, I just know it is in my favour to be with them as opposed to a regular landlord, even one that accepts Housing Benefit - because some landlords will not take clients with housing benefits as the HB is now paid to the tenant not the landlord and not all tenants are honest and some landlords end up with no rent payment = law court fees and evictions and a mess.
I had to wait for 6 months for a place to become vacant, and by then I had found my own place elsewhere. In actuality, I had just that very day signed a lease on a new place when I got a phone call offering me a Housing 21 flat! However, a year later this place where I currently live came up for rent, and there was no waiting list: I saw it advertised, viewed it, was accepted, and moved in 3 weeks later - it very much depends on your flexibility as to where you are willing to live. Some places are rural meaning you need independent transport if the public transportation is lacking or inadequate. Most are in a town setting, and all details give distances to the bus stop/doctor/shops plus whether the site is difficult to access if you have limited mobility.

Rentals seem to be in the £400 range + utilities and sometimes also sewage and water. Most flats are one bedroom (some are studios), as that is how the state now allocates places - once you are a pensioner you are deemed to need less space. Be prepared for small spaces, especially if you are accustomed to the US type space. And don't buy furniture until you have seen where you will live as it may be too large!

So far I have been happy being a Housing 21 tenant, but if they do not have available spaces for your needs, there are other Housing Associations such as Hanover and Anchor.

Have a look: http://www.housing21.co.uk/housing/property-search/
http://www.hanover.org.uk/
http://www.anchor.org.uk/
and a general site:
http://www.yell.co/s/housing+associa...usts-bath.html
Just substitute your area of choice with the one noted, which is Bath. If anyone wants a private question answered, please send me a private message. I have done a mass of research on this housing issue for my own needs, and am happy to share my thoughts and findings.

mikelincs

Just one caveat to that, it all depends on your income, if you have a higher income, then you are placed in one of 3 bands, the more income you have, the lower the banding, and the less places that are available, if you have an income that precludes housing benefit, then it is much less likely you will get a place easily as they consider people like that to be able to afford to rent from the private sector.

islandwoman120

I did not know about the banding for getting Housing Association housing. I know that you cannot get Housing Benefit from the local District if you have over a certain amount, which makes sense: the limit is £16k in savings and investments. I don't know about HA limits....

not2old

@post 31, 32, 33

thank you for the detailed & informative info especially on how one is slotted into a band etc.

Key I suppose is moving back with just enough to get the max benefit for the band then fly in the millions that you left behind later ... joking of course.

Presently I am researching help to buy/rent to buy to see if the property ladder for over 65 is worth doing or just simply rent & be done with it. Do any of you have any thoughts on those or have personally gone through it?

Equity release I understand (similar to the US & Canada reverse mortgage) and I thought 'shared ownership was OK till I stated plugging the numbers

islandwoman120

I only have a state pension topped up by Pension Credit, and a small amount of savings - so I applied for the rent to buy scheme just out of interest, and they accepted my application. I was shocked, as there is no way my pension could support a house purchase and all the running costs associated with owning a home. The letter I received told me that it did not guarantee a house, but would allow the developers in the scheme to contact me. So far no one has - perhaps they are wiser than the person or computer accepting applicants. Buyer beware... and the authorities here do check into your overseas assets to see if you are hiding any, so no way can you get on the scheme and then expect to bring over assets without them being found. You get re-assessed every few years once you are accepted onto a scheme.

not2old

thanks again

not2old

This is an ex-pat returnee question.

With an over 55 sheltered housing you mentioned typically that rents are lower than private landlords. Can an over 55 or more so a 65+ if presently renting privately (not social housing) still apply for sheltered housing [I think that's what you said'] and likely be successful?

And what about if a person is retired over 65 owns their own home, can they apply for sheltered rental housing or would they have to sell their home first, rent private then apply for sheltered Housing?

Can over 65's who are exempt from bedroom tax get a 2 or 3 bedroom sheltered housing?

Or if they owned & wanted to rent their owned place due to the work & up keep - could they still apply & hopefully get a place through the likes of a housing association such as housing 21.

What I'm really asking are there any limitations?

paul32x

Not a reply to most of your points, but I saw your note and thought I'd share my experience with repetitive strain. I'm a Court Reporter, have been for decades, spend 14 hours a day, 7 days a week on the computer. A few years ago I got repetitive strain. Had all the usual treatments, including cortisone, which eventually wore off, was in agony at times in court using steno machine or typing transcripts. Mentioned it to my father who was a professional pianist. Didn't realise, but he'd had it too. His advice from an old doctor friend -- Olive Oil!! Massage it into elbows and hands, he told me, while sat down, watching TV, for 20, 30 minutes a day and in a month or so you'll be okay! Anyway, I was skeptical to say the least, but did it. Voila, never had a problem since, and I sit and use a keyboard constantly for seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. I also started about a year ago, developing a bit of an arthritic hip (I'm 52). Thought I'd try it again. Now as part of my morning routine, I massage a small amount of olive oil into my hip -- not a pretty sight! Anyway, pain's gone completely. I've told many people who have mentioned they are suffering with achy or painful joints of one sort or another over the years since I was told, most ignore me and don't do it, but I'm afraid that is their loss. However, I can categorically assure you that for me it worked 100 per cent! As I say, a small amount (it goes a long way) massaged into the affected area for a short time every day for about a month is all you need.

islandwoman120

Yes to most of the questions. You can own your own home, rent that out privately, and still get sheltered housing - but you will have to pay the full rate - in other words, you would not be able to get Housing Benefit as that is means tested - but you can still live in sheltered housing. Not all sheltered housing is rental - many schemes are owner occupied, but even within those, you can rent your place privately. Anyone can purchase a property in a sheltered scheme that is up for sale, but they cannot live in it until they are of the appropriate age - e.g. a child can buy a home for their parent but they themselves cannot live in it unless they are over 60. If there is a couple, one has to be over 60.

I am unaware of the ability to get a 2 bedroom place unless you rent privately. And by this I don't mean in the regular rental market - if you rented from someone in the sheltered scheme who actually owned their own place, and they rented privately to you, not via the Housing Association management.

I am going to post links to places I know of in this area and in Frome where I lived before, so you can see that people who have purchased their own places in a sheltered scheme that is owner occupied, as opposed to the one in which I live that is all rental, now want to rent their places. Perhaps it was always bought with the intention of renting it, or perhaps the owner has died and the relatives want to rent it out until the market picks up for sale or for whatever reason.

So I think the answers to all those questions are:

Yes, you can own a place and rent that and apply for sheltered housing also. One of my neighbours is in exactly that situation: she owns a house in town, rents that out, and uses the rental income to pay for her place here in the sheltered scheme - because her husband died and she no longer wanted to live alone, plus could not manage the upkeep on a daily basis.

One of my other neighbours lives in a 2 bedroom rented flat. She moved into it to share with her elderly mother, signed the lease, then the mother suddenly died a week before my neighbour moved in. In this instance I am guessing that because she had already agreed to take the place she was therefore allowed to go ahead, and not have to downgrade to a one bedroom flat. She also pays full rent as she does not qualify for housing benefit and I don't know if that makes a difference, but I suspect not, because she had already signed the lease and that was honoured. So don't quote me here on the 2 bedroom v 1 bedroom issue because I don't have the answer.

Links: These places are for sale, but within the Court there were recently places for rent - a phone call to the Court Manager will give the details.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-39631465.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28099866.html
Both are owned by Peverel management, and details can also be accessed via the Peverel website: http://www.peverel.co.uk/retirement
Another place to look at: http://www.housingcare.org/housing-c...69-anchor.aspx

As far as I am aware, most of the Housing Associations that are not linked to council clearance schemes whereby you need to be registered with the Council to get onto the sheltered scheme (which seems to be a convoluted manner to get a house/flat) also have places for sale. Sometimes you have to be a rental tenant first then you can apply to purchase your own place.

I am NOT advocating any specific management scheme, as I only know about the one I live in, so though I am linking you to places I know about, don't take that as an indication that I am marketing or advertising for anyone - I am not.

islandwoman120

I have been answering questions on sheltered housing and I have a few questions of my own. Are posters wanting to know about sheltered housing because they are in need of a daily check in with a warden, or being with their peer group just for their own peace of mind, or have medical issues whereby they want to have the security of a pull chord system linked to a call center for emergency needs?

If you live in any setting that is not 'sheltered', you can still get access to the emergency scheme, because there are any number of private and council run schemes. If you live in your own place (own or rent) you can sign up and pay for a scheme that gives you the same type of push button and pendant system. So unless you want a human checking in on you daily (and not all managers are equal - some are much more personal and caring than others) you can live where you want to and still have peace of mind. I moved in here for the peer group situation - I had lived amongst drunks in Frome and am a whole lot more street smart now as a result. I don't want anti social behaviour where I live, and that is always a potential in the private rental market: who are my neighbours.

Here are some of the private emergency systems:
http://www.aidcall.co.uk/healthcare/...are-alarm-unit
http://www.aidcall.co.uk/personalcar...nal-alarm.html

not2old

@post 39 & 40

thanks again

dunroving

May be a daft question, but do you have to leave it on/in, or do you wash it off? I have arthritis in knees, hips, hands and thought I might try this but not if I'll smell of olive oil all day!

islandwoman120

It's an OK smell, but you might get a following of cats sort of like the Pied Piper of ----- wherever you live! My cat loved the taste of olive oil.

rebeccajo

Here is an old thread regarding sheltered housing. I remember it because it contains a lot of good info and caused me to do some research of my own into the idea.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ltered+housing

The most important tid-bit (for me) that came from my learning was to check the cost of the annual maintenance fee. It can vary widely.

dunroving

It's OK, you're on a site full of Brits. You can say tit-bit without anyone tittering.