Advice- 75 yo DF homeless........

[Boymummy2015]

Hi
After some advice please I will try to keep it brief....
My dad and his partner of over 20 years have recently split up there home is in her name and as such she has now told him to leave and he is to be out this weekend when she is ready to return.

The property is Council owned and her name on the tenancy although he is registered as an occupant and paying rent, bills CT etc.....
Given his age he is retired and on State Pension, he does have a little money in the bank but not huge amounts, he also has a private pension which has a fairly large sum in but he hasn't made any attempt to claim this I believe he is wanting to leave this when the unthinkable happens if I'm honest.

I believe he may be entitled to Pension Credit, housing Benefit & help with Council tax & he has this morning had a meeting to discuss all of this I worry much of it has just fried his brain and he now has a mountain of paperwork to read and complete.......

I have set up some viewings for him for tomorrow on Flats & have also informed his local council of his situation and the impending homelessness. He has also called them to discuss this but had no luck with speaking to anyone. He needs a roof over his head urgently and help and guidance off people who know what their doing as it's all very new.

Can anyone provide any help on this or been in a similar situation?

he also has a private pension which has a fairly large sum in but he hasn't made any attempt to claim this I believe he is wanting to leave this when the unthinkable happens if I'm honest.

I don't understand why he has a pension pot he hasn't touched. Why should he be entitled to pension credits/housing benefit if he has a fairly large private pension (granted, one person's definition of fairly large is different to another's).

Anyway that pension is likely to be the answer. His current needs take precidence over providing any inheritance to loved ones. He needs to take a tax free lump sum out of his pot to cover a deposit and ensure he has an income to cover rent (either by buying an annuity or by drawdown) with or without any benefits he's entitled to - certainly single person discount on council tax

He will not be entitled to any means tested benefits if he has a pension on which he can draw down. However because of his age there are likely to be social housing options for him - you need to persist with the Council Housing office. If he will truly be homeless you could look into Airbnb or similar temporary options - but he will have to break into that nest egg.

I agree about his pension pot I would rather see him enjoy it if I'm honest than leave it behind.
Whilst for him and his age it is a decent amount it's not life changing for us as his kids/grandkids etc

Seems very difficult to get solid information online and any organisations you call you can't get through!
Thanks for your advice I would be minded to agree.

His pension pot is going to count against any benefits he’s entitled to. He absolutely needs to drawdown from this.