Right to buy

[ettelloc]

Does anybody know much about this scheme? My friends mum lived in a council property and has done for most of her life. SHe has recently been diagnosed with cancer and been told she has around 12 months to live. My friend has moved back in wth he mum to care for her which has not yet been declared to the housing association but my friend doesnt like the thought of anyone living in "her mums house" after she has gone. Ive done some research and as far as I can work out if my frined wants to buy the house with/for her mu she would have to be a tenant for 12 months. Is this right? is there any other way they could do this? I suggested a loan but my friends salary isnt huge so may not be possible. Any information anyone has would be appreciated. Thanks

[boxtops]

I think this may depend also on the policy of your local council on "right to buy". If there is a long waiting list for houses the size of your friend's mum's, then the council's first duty is to house people who need that house, not to sell to someone who hasn't actually been the tenant. There was a thread on here a while back about a person who was living with his parent in council housing - the son had no automatic right to live there just because the mother was a long-standing tenant. I

I am sorry to say this but we all have to face up to the fact of other people taking over the houses either where we grew up or where our elderly parents lived - it's a fact of life.

I think her best bet would be to talk to the council as the very first step, to see if a) they would sell and b) how much the purchase price might me. Sadly it's very unlikely that any mortgage lender (IMO) would lend to a lady with only a year to live - and with your friend being on low income, the mortgage lenders need assurance that they are going to get their money back.

[ummmm]

Well it wasn't meant to sound heartless...

[VHG]

Do you really think a bank or building society is going to give someone a loan or mortgage when they only have a year to live?

[bednobs]

although, how would they know?

[ettelloc]

Vhg- do you really think that was information about the scheme. Thanks to those that did post valid responses. I think there's a lot of people who are on here just to provoke others and dont have any intentions of answering the questions asked.

[karenmac60]

If your friend applies to be a joint tenant then I think the tenancy still goes back to the mother's start date - I remember asking when my husband moved in with me. She would then have the right to buy at some point (new tenancies in many areas no longer have RTB, but existing ones do - she should check this)

[ubasses]

Just looking at the mortgage side of things, as I know nothing about he Right to Buy scheme. The mother would not be able to get life insurance, even if she could get someone to grant a mortgage, therefore your friend would have to prove at the outset that they would qualify for the mortage and affordability in their own right. From what you have said this seems very unlikely.

[jewellerjim]

I understand the emotional side of this predicament, but really this is not what council housing is all about, or it shouldn't be! Council housing is about providing affordable housing for people whilst they are in need. The tenancy was granted to your friends mother when she was bringing up her family. Once your friends mother has passed away, the house will I am sure be reclaimed by the Council as information from searching the web would indeed state that you need to be a tenant for a minimum of 12 months before you have any rights to buy. There is no other wasy to do this. Sadly there is very little chance of either of the people involved getting any sort of mortgage or loan to purchase the property at this late stage of the game as most mortgage application forms will ask for medical history, and have the right to ask for medical reports. This does not just apply to the insurance side of things.

It is sad that your friend will have to say goodbye to the home he has shared with his family, but I fear this is exactly what he will need to do. That was maybe another family will be lucky enough to enjoy the home as he clearly has with his mum over the years.

If you take away the emotional attachment you all have here, you will see that everyone is speaking sense in your answers, and not just giving their opinion. Sometimes you have to accept what you don't want to hear.

We wish you ALL well in the difficult times ahead.

[hope7]

Hi, you're a really good friend for looking into this for her. Finding out your mum is dying is the most painful experience of life. I have been in a similar situation with my mum having terminal cancer, many people told me I wouldn't be able to buy my property - but I did. It was a hard long struggle. What I would say is firstly tell her not to give up and if this is really what she wants to do then she must exhaust every avenue available to her. If there are any application forms to be completed they need to be done asap councils usually take a lot of time to process the right to buy form. I met a really supportive housing officer who supported me through much of the process, as well as a solicitor who guided me when I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. But above all perserverance and persistance pays off.

Having to deal with losing your mum is an excruciating experience. Losing your childhood home feels like losing all your memories too. I can relate, it wasn't long ago that I lost my mum.

I have not given specific details of the process I went through as every council/housing association is different. Also, I had the required deposit for the mortgage and a mortgage broker helping me. I just wanted to emphasise that there is hope.

Takecare.