Rightmove - Over 60s Only

[NononoLimit]

I'm prepared to get flamed here but I'm searching for a new home and I keep seeing lovely 3 bedroom properties which are over 60s only; massive gardens (some with multiple levels but all have to be mown), 3 big bedrooms and cannot help feel the amount of these over 60s only properties (there are loads the further out of London you look) could be going to families in need of housing.

I totally understand over 60s properties are necessary, especially at an affordable price due to people no longer being able to get mortgages, etc. However, I expected that on a different type of property, perhaps 1 or 2 bedrooms with smaller gardens.

My thoughts on it are everyone I know over 60 wants a manageable property and apart from family staying, the over 60s I know are all downsizing for the future. I don't get it but I'm prepared to be enlightened...? AIBU?

Don't worry OP. You'll be over 60 before you know it, and will be able to access all these wonderful schemes.

Like a PP, I've no intention of relinquishing my beautiful home on my 60th birthday. Why the fuck should I? I've been working like a dog to pay the mortgage for longer than some posters on here have been alive.

OP get out of your bubble and increase your circle

When my parents were over 60 they had teenagers. I was one of them. My dad actually moved to a 3 bedroom house down sizing from an older 5 bedroom house.

I wasn't the only person with older parents in my primary school, there were even more of us in my secondary school and I grew up in London near where Homewise have some of these properties.

Some of my siblings, cousins, myself and some of my friends will have teenagers when we are in our 60s. In fact two of my siblings are in that bracket now with 3 teenagers between them.

I was very frustrated by this when I was house hunting so I get why you find it annoying. I find the number of properties miscategorised on Rightmove really annoying. These weren't included as retirement properties so I couldn't exclude them. Park homes were also being marketed as detached houses as were rooms in shared houses. I actually contacted them to say that people were miscategorising constantly and excluding them didn't help but I don't think they took any notice.

It's hard not to feel bitter when you're starting out that other people appear to get more opportunities than you but I have managed to adjust my mindset by constantly reminding myself that someone else's gain has no impact on me whatsoever. If the scheme was taken away then I wouldn't be offered it, not could I afford the full cost of the house so to begrudge someone else is pointless.

My inlaws are over 60 and just bought a huge beautiful barn conversion near us with a large garden. They want to have the grandkids to stay regularly and to be able to host their 2 sons and their families.

And you know, who cares if they don't have teenagers? Why should 'older' people have to go in tinier properties they don't want when they can afford larger ones they might want? My folks still live in a 4-bed house in their 80s. They don't have a mortgage, they can afford to run it, so what?

Also yes of course , Local Planning Authorities encourage sites for older people / specialist housing ,general needs homes AND affordable..

OP and others concerned about affordable housing provision, Look up your Local Plan from the council planning website in your area and see your local policies on this , it will all be there .

It can be a planning restriction secured by a legal agreement. The houses might be specialist housing (e.g. adapted) or it might not have the usual car parking provision for example, and therefore it is restricted to older people.

@pootyisabadcat

The housing shortage is the real issue here I think and it's difficult to know what's right. On the one hand we have ideal first time properties being snapped up by investors and family homes being kept by people that don't need the space. On the other - why should that be their problem? Both valid points and I think the solution is more houses being built with perhaps some caveat that they are only sold to people that intend to live in them for X years.

I have a bigger problem with buy to let than I have with older people keeping big houses. That's not the fault of the individual - if you have the money and want to let as an investment then that's a very solid choice and I don't think they should be punished for that (I'd do the same if/when I could afford to). It was hearbreaking for me to lose so many ideal first properties because investors would just offer well over asking, I lost my dream house and I still think about it.

I'm very conflicted about this. I think it's wrong that so many people are forced to rent paying more than the mortgage cost and unable to buy because they will always be outbid but I also think it would be wrong to not allow anyone to buy to let as it's a much more secure pension plan. I suppose it should be a percentage thing? Lots of developments must meet percentages of social housing so another percentage to first time buyers or people buying homes not houses?

I hate Homewise. I don't think they should be allowed to advertise in Rightmove.

This

Also RM should have a 'filter out homewise scammers' filter so you don't get excited by a lovely property only to see FMV would be about £200k more.

Thank you Laska2Meryls that's interesting. There are about 30 flats in the new build/conversion. So they likely have had to contribute to affordable housing plans in the area. I will ask at the town hall.

Pootyisabadcat I was not meaning to be offensive, I am nearly 55 myself and I was surprised by what the EA said, as no mention of age restriction in the marketing. There is another development in our town which is definitely marketed to older people with on site care to be called at any time, communal café, visiting hairdresser and podiatrist and so on.
Housing prices have gone up alarmingly in the town and like the OP I feel frustrated by the market at the moment

Good provision of retirement housing means people can downsize, so it does free up housing elsewhere.

Some retirement properties will be very cheap, and others surprisingly expensive. You would not want to buy one of the cheap ones. They are, almost invariably very cheap because the leases are bad, and relatives are desperate to get rid of them at any price in order to be able to stop paying the service charge. My mum's sheltered housing block in contrast is expensive, possibly 50% more than ordinary flats in the area, as there is a good level and good quality of support. There is often and wait list to buy, not least because it is far nicer and far cheaper than a care home.

Over 60 housing is really complicated. OP stop worrying - you are very unlikely to be missing out.

Once you've done you search on RM just go into the Filters and exclude "Retirement Home" as an option.

We have it in my area and when we sold last year the EA asked if we wanted to show as a homewise and we said yes. Why wouldn't we? It opens our property up to another audience.

Conversely when I was searching RM I filtered out retirement properties as they aren't appropriate.

It's hard not to feel bitter when you're starting out that other people appear to get more opportunities than you

The only opportunity here is to
Be exploited financially. The exact same houses are available to buy for full price, but this deal being offered is terrible.

No Homewise round here thank god.

Yes all over 60s should only be allowed to live in a shoebox to make way for the entitled millennial generation

cheezywhizz it could be if its flats ,that it is designated all older people in the same way that Mcarthy and Stone type places are. Its a different planning category from general needs housing ..

They may not be adapted as such , but could be 'sheltered housing' . This means that they would not need to provide affordable or pay for affordable , but do have to offer other services to the occupants , (most often, lifts , ramps , warden assistance etc ) The planning application will tell you.. Planning categories can be a complex area!

Also 60 is very young to be downsizing. The 60 year olds I know are still working and are very much still capable of mowing a lawn and maintaining a large house!

I dislike it because I think it's a rip off.
The company wins out of it because they get a lump sum towards the house and then get the house too.
What if they need a home or money for medical needs? I can see people staying longer in the home than they're safe because they now can't move to the assisted living or bungalow they need.

What a ridiculously stupid and ill thought-through OP!

Just because you're over 60 doesn't mean you don't need more than 1 or 2 bedrooms.

We have 1 DC who still lives at home (I'm not quite 60 but DH is over 60), and another DC who comes home to stay - and we quite often have friends who come to stay.

There is another development in our town which is definitely marketed to older people with on site care to be called at any time, communal café, visiting hairdresser and podiatrist and so on.
We have a block like this in my town. The service charge is just shy of £300 a month.

cheezy Planning can be a bit of a minefield , but they will be able to tell you , (or it will be on the website, just look up the address) or if it was a conversion from an existing older persons facility that may have an effect on what it is now, again due to Planning designations.. Its worth checking out anyway .

(I'm over 60 btw, and still often have a house full of DCs ad DGCs we will not be downsizing for some time... )

I didn't realise how it worked but it makes sense now many of you have explained it. I thought they were paying a fraction of the full market value just due to age and owned the whole property. Of course people over 60 should live in larger homes but if people over 60 are getting larger homes at a fraction of the price just due to age then I don't agree with that, no. They don't have to live in tinier properties, no, but I thought these properties were marketed to older people as part of stipulations set by the local authority (I know a little about the regulations for new builds in London in regards to housing plans). This is why I didn't understand why they would be marketing a large amount of these property types towards over 60s.

It's not about 60 + living in shoe boxes. It's about 60+ appearing to be offered heavily-discounted properties.

Anyone is free to buy a big house, at 18 or 75, provided you can pay full market price.

It's a misunderstanding, but I agree with the OP on principle. If anyone has access to heavily discounted properties, of course they shouldn't have access to the very minimum size. For everything else, pay market price like everyone else.

These exists in my area too, but you can buy them at full price too.

Not all 60yr olds want to be surrounded by teenagers or young families, schools etc they want a bit of peace especially if they've done that, bought the t-shirt etc. So a street or estate for over 60s only is ideal. But that's not to say we want to downsize to a pokey little one bed flat or whatever,we still have friends and family we like to have stay/entertain etc.

We're over 60 and looking to 'downsize' (sort of) -- we don't want more than two or three bedrooms but we DO want lots of living space - two or three receptions, (one each and a dining room or large kitchen diner) study, utility/mud room plus parking and a garden.
Oh, and two bathrooms, or at least two bogs.
Try finding properties like that!
It seems everywhere with lots of downstairs living space has loads of bedrooms and bathrooms that we don't want or need.and no, we're most definitely not going for equity release - they're a con.

Most over 60’s that I know are in the section of society that hold the most amount of equity in property. They have also lived through a time when property was much more affordable. It’s people in their 20/30’s that need affordable property.