Local authority restricting bungalows on age basis

[SimplySteve]

I've considered that my local authority restricting bungalows to over 55s (regardless if they have any disabilities etc, age is the sole eligibility criteria) is ageism? Being restricted from one when we are both carrying serious disability is shocking, even have support from GP, social worker, medical specialist nurse. We fall numerous times a week in current property too. This is discriminatory surely?

Yes Fenella, that is a good point. Councils do have funding to adapt existing accommodation too. You don’t even need to be in social housing to access it either.

When my dad became unable to get up the stairs they built a wet room downstairs and ramped the front of the house and put in a different front door. He was also supplied with a hospital style bed with one of those air mattresses to stop him getting bed sores. It was all done quickly and efficiently. The council also provided a care package, 2 careers came 4 times a day and also a companion twice a week so my DM could go out for a few hours. She was also allocated a number of weeks that he could go into a care home so she could have a holiday.

There is funding, you do need to get in touch with the council and access it.

Local Authority won't adapt any social housing as tenants could move out.

This is starting to become potentially very identifying.

Steve, they do adapt social housing in my area.

I think you need to speak to social services and get someone allocated as your case worker. You need to get to the truth of the situation and what is available for you.

@SimplySteve you have 100% posted this exact thread before because I remember reading it.... maybe you should write a note or keep the thread so you can re read it again next time it pisses you of....

Sometimes having a bungalow makes no difference in your disability. My Dmum is disabled and owns a bungalow that the council paid to have adapted for her and she still falls regardless, it also has 1 step at every door into the property....

My FIL lives in a council GFF, it is flat all around and the council put in a wet room for him, its also smaller than a bungalow meaning be doesn't fall because it isn't far from 1 room to the next.

If you still haven't gotten in touch with your MP yet then you need to, but if the rules are age related not much will change that.

Have you considered moving area ?

Are you trying HA as well OP? I'm in a HA bungalow, the criteria was 'over 50 or with disabilities affecting mobility'.

When I moved in it had what was supposed to be a wet room, butt he floor wasn't sealed properly. After several years and many attempts to rectify it the HA put in a bath.

Yes @HJWT I've realised :(

It's a company that takes the bids for both LA and HA properties, they said we should be eligible based on disability and the evidence, then they said all the HA/LA said no.

DP is going to contact her Social Worker.

I realise we likely will fall in any new property, but there's a large difference between falling your body height and falling down 15 stairs, or steps (kitchen/bathroom).

You really need support. Do you have an advocate? Most authorities should have an advocacy service available for careers and the cared for. They are excellent when dealing with SW and council officials. They can chase everything up and in my experience they are treated with more respect than would normally given when without an advocate.

I would also look at contacting any charities relevant to your disability. For example the RNIB and see if they have a local representative who could help provide information to convince the LA to consider allowing a bungalow for your individual case.

It doesn’t sound right. Can you look at a specialist HA? My son is severely disabled & is moving into a bungalow owned by a specialist HA. Adaptations in part funded by a DFG (they can take forever, luckily his were fast tracked). Specialist HA seem to be the key to getting something suitable.

Good advice @Devilishpyjamas & @ClaireElizabethBeauchampFraser . I will look into those options today. There's a few charities that could be contacted so going to compile a list. DP ringing Social Worker today, will also look into an advocacy service at the LA/HAs.

Also, even though I haven't agreed with many posts, and people stating it's not discriminatory haven't explained why, but want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post.

I would say leaving you waiting for 16 months when you both sound quite vulnerable is a disgrace. It might be the norm but it shouldn’t be. If you were looking at needs based asssssments then surely you would come higher than a healthy 55 year old?

OP is really coming in for a hard time here.

Personally I would agree that it is discrimination on age.

I would think that the OP and her husband have more need of a bungalow than a fit and healthy 55 year old

Have you looked at renting privately?

I really don't think it is discrimination, surely it's to encourage the elderly to move from their houses so families can have them. Seems a good policy to me.

I agree with you. Rules at my HA are over 60 OR disability need for a bungalow, the difficulty is finding one that is suitable for a wheelchair user but that is a different story. I agree with a pp that this is probably the time to see your MP, I am saddened that you seem to be in a position where you can't have a move facilitated and neither will they adapt.

Not really. If this isn’t preventing you from beinghoused at all am argument of discrimination probably wouldn’t fly. Councils are given a great deal of discretion for how they allocate resources and there is a clear rationale behind the policy. If it was a case of restricting all accessible properties to over 55s that would be different.

Dear lord, this old chestnut. The same issue was raised a month or two ago.

I used to work for our local council in this area of housing. The reason most bungalows are 55+ is because they are part of the sheltered housing scheme, so are warden controlled. Housing associations can restrict the criteria for their properties and the council cannot outrank this. When we housed people with disabilities we would send an occupational therapist out to view the property with the applicant and they would consider any necessary adaptations. They would then report back to us and the HA and the HA would look at doing the work under a Disabled Facilities Grant.

As someone well past 55, I think its a ridiculous age to suggest that a bungalow is a need. The criteria should be based on individual need, with perhaps an added age banding of 65. However, I would include accessible gffs in the equation. Whilst a bungalow is perhaps more desirable, certainly in my LA they are in short supply.

Not quite the same but a lot of bungalows and GFF in my area are restricted to over 55’s which is ridiculous.
We have a “difficult to let” list where properties that have been offered to the general list (and not wanted by anyone/not bid on by anyone eligible) are available to the public providing they meet the criteria.
Occasionally 1-2 bed normal properties become available however 2+ bungalows and over 55 properties become available on a monthly basis and take ages to be taken up (sometimes as many as 8 are available at any time) because you MUST be over 55 (0 other criteria).
Seems like madness when so many people need to be housed to have surplus housing going to waste for months.

@SimplySteve

Here's why it's not discriminatory (a word bandied about far too often)

The council has a duty to offer housing to those in need. A legal duty. There are certain categories within that,

The law does not state what type of housing. There is no legal duty to offer you your preference.
They can restrict bungalows by age because they are not using your disability to exclude you from housing, only a very small portion of that housing.
They are allowed to choose how best to allocate their stock and that's how your (and most local authorities) choose.

Your problem is that there isn't much stock you're allowed to bid on so it will take a long time.

This also happens to families needing four or more bedrooms, there aren't very many council houses that big and the council can't deliberately overcrowd them.

Whatever your disabilities are you're obviously capable of using the Internet/ written communication.
Instead of repeatedly posting here use those skills to get in touch with housing and ask, nicely for advice and suggestions, are there other areas or property types perhaps they can suggest. Don't frame it as a complaint at first just ask for help/advice.

Some accommodation is age restricted so that they have people needing similar support in similar circumstances together - this happens in the private sector too, it's called retirement complexes. Housing in a complex dedicated to older people also won't allow young permanent residents to ensure its quiet etc - most housing is completely unrestricted, but some older people don't want the noise of a younger family next door. Bungalows are quite rare in council housing stock, you can either rent privately or wait until an unrestricted bungalow or ground floor flat entry flat is available. I'm guessing you are in accommodation deemed fit for your needs or you would be higher priority.

To treat someone less favourably because of a disability is discrimination. Proving that is harder.
You might want to seek professional legal advice about writing to the local authority. The argument might be that most bungalows also have steps.
There might be funding available for adaptation of your property such as a ramp to replace steps and handrails. My mother is 94, blind and liable to falls but lives independently in a ground floor flat with good adaptation put in after she fractured her hip. She now has a ramp and handrail to her parking space.

I think that they should be allocated on need, not age.

I also think local authorities should stop people taking the roof off a bungalow and converting it to a house. If you want a house, buy one. Bungalows are massively in demand.

they prefer to keep elderly people together less problems such as noise etc which if they had younger people there with them may be an issue
sometimes councils will make an exception esp if the bungalow is in a hard to house area ie no one wants it!

Housing in a complex dedicated to older people also won't allow young permanent residents to ensure its quiet etc

This made me splutter. Some elderly people have their TVs up so loud I'd rather live next to someone young who has the occasional all night party!