To suggest the government incentivising downsizing

[PoinsettiaPosturing]

There seems to be a couple of issues discussed very frequently here that could be potentially helped (not solved) by the government incentivising downsizing for home owners.

There's a significant issue of property availability to buy and rent, and a huge number of older people who are single/couples in 3/4/5 bed houses. This means that younger generations are stuck in their starter homes and priced out of long term homes.
MIL & FIL have a 4 bed detached and constantly complain about the cost to heat and maintain it, but hate that it'll cost them loads in stamp duty, moving fees & solicitors costs to downsize.

Perhaps Rishi could incentivise downsizing, so if you reduce the number of bedrooms when you move it over 60, then you're relieved of stamp duty, and perhaps receive a £2,000 (debatable) grant towards moving costs and expenses.

There are also constant complaints that older people stay in their homes long after they 'should' based on significant care needs, decreasing mobility and long term repair issues.

The incentive could encourage people moving to smaller houses, flats, retirement communities or even combining households with family members.

This would hopefully:

1. Free up larger properties for families/younger people wanting to upsize
2. Hopefully mean older people have less heating and energy expenses
3. Encourage older people to move into properties more suitable to reduced mobility & care needs longer term
4. Mean older properties are restored/better maintained

I appreciate there are loads of people who want to stay in their family home until the end, and this wouldn't change that view point, but maybe a social movement towards older people reducing the size of their homes would create a bit of social contagion where it's more openly discussed?

Also, house builders could be encouraged to build more bungalows/smaller homes specifically for this scheme which perhaps are built with stair lifts in mind etc.

YABU - this will never work, ridiculous suggestion

YANBU - this has legs, you should go into politics

Yes, this is what I was thinking. We’ve live in a huge house, outbuildings and a big plot of land. I’ve got a rough idea of what it is worth and if I did want to downsize I doubt very much it would be in the affordable bracket for young families in this area.

And then this:
NeverDropYourMooncup · Today 12:44
If more bungalows were built, more bungalows would be bought and promptly knocked down to put blocks of flats in their place. Profit comes before suitable housing

We are literally the only remaining large property in our road (which would have a small farming hamlet during the 19th early 20th century on the edge of a small seaside town but has now become firmly part of said town due to all the building expanding outwards) that have not either sold up entirely and then been developed with usually 5-7 smallish new builds or to have split the land ourselves and built a second property on the plot to sell for profit whilst remaining in the original home. I’ve had two unsolicited letters from developers over the past year with an offer over market value (for house and land with no planning permission) because presumably they are well aware that due to precedent they would certainly be granted planning and could knock out about 7 houses. They’re literally cramming tiny houses in around here at an alarming rate, for OPs plan to work it would have to include some kind of change to planning law.

So you are happy to be put in a council run care home rather than pay for a private care home? No way would I let my family shove me in a council run care home so they can inherit when my own property could finance a much higher standard of care in my final years, fuck that for a game of soldiers, my home is for my benefit only, I would think again if I was you.

Oops quoted wrong poster that should be to @Mentalpiece

No way would I be so greedy to do this to my parents either

They earned it.

So you are happy to be put in a council run care home rather than pay for a private care home? No way would I let my family shove me in a council run care home so they can inherit when my own property could finance a much higher standard of care in my final years, fuck that for a game of soldiers, my home is for my benefit only, I would think again if I was you.

For the record, the council run care home that my MIL was in was absoutely fantastic. Light, modern, well staffed, friendly and hospitable carers who loved my MIL and were very well trained and empathetic about dementia. They also got to know us well, and when i turned up to visit (they knew I had a long drive) they'd insist on feeding me!
The BUPA one that my mum was in, was dire. Dark, pokey, never looked clean, nothing much going on, and staff that didn't even acknowledge us when we visited, not did they show any warmth to my Mum that I observed.

Ideologically no they don't, but practically, yes it's an option to change behaviour if necessary. Sometimes doing something for the "greater good" is the better option, even if "unfair".

Well I presume you or your mother chose that Bupa care home? I presume you moved her out of there as quickly as possible and invested her money into a much higher standard care home? Your mother had choices if she funded it, your MIL just got lucky and probably had not much choice at all where she ended up.

When you’ve worked as a Carer and you are laughing your arse off that the notion private care always equals BETTER care than council care.

Deary, deary me! I guess that’s a nice thought……

No one is laughing their arse off, don’t be ridiculous, just pointing out when you have money that could fund your care it gives you choices, choices you don’t have when you have no money and rely on the state.

@LadyVictoriaSponge

Oh let me guess… the carers were higher standard too in the “better homes”. 😂

Looks can be very, very, very deceiving in that sector. I’ve worked in beautiful grounds with Apparantly “good” CQCs and they’ve been absolutely diabolical. Equally I’ve worked in homes that whilst certainly look deprived and many of the carers have tattoos etc have been top notch for care.

People on mumsnet will simply NOT accept that to be the truth. It’s too emotive for them. I get it. Those homes are always housing “other old people”….. not your granny. No, no my granny has the best care and the carers all smile game face when you go in.

In reality it’s pot luck mainly but certainly in terms of standards you would have to be incredibly rich for your care to be of a much higher standard than non payers.

In a few years we will be empty nester as the youngest of 4vgo to uni.i have no intention of downsizing.

@LadyVictoriaSponge

personally when I’m at the stage whereby I’m dribbling and shitting myself on a daily basis I don’t really care if I’ve paid for it or not. I’ve done domicilliary care too which has included payers and non payers, care was the same and I treated them all with dignity but it used to feel kinda sad going to the massive, affluent houses and they were still just as demented and angry as the poorer ones. It gave me a different outlook I guess …

Anyhow I’m hoping euthanasia becomes legal 🙏

As I said choices, money gives you options, I certainly won’t be relying on pot luck and keeping my fingers crossed the council run care home will be a good one just so some relative can get my house for free.

@LadyVictoriaSponge

Good luck. You will need it, we all will. Just don’t presume you’ll have too many choices, you won’t. Particularly with the lack of social care workers. You can throw money at things but if they are ultimately shit, they are shit.

Well I will have more choices than someone with no money that’s just a fact🤷🏻‍♀️

We had no choice in my mum's care home. It was the only one that had a vacancy and could cope with her medical and physical needs. We would have moved her later if we could have found someone else, but she flatly refused. Mainly because none of the other care homes in the area allowed smoking, which she refused to give up (in fairness it was the only pleasure left to her after her extremely disabling stroke)

If you don’t have any money to contribute towards your care home/nursing home bill then the local council are funding the whole place and you’ll end up in a bargain basement care home/nursing home and trust me you wouldn’t put your worse enemy in one of those.

...also we did have a choice in MIL's care home, as she too, self funded. It just happened that this exceptional one was council run. And of course, it meant that when her money ran out, she could remain there. Unlike my mum. When her money ran out, she got booted out because the council wouldn't pay BUPA's fees.

@Corgiowner

My Nan was in a good home with payers and non payers. My mum was a nurse and worked in home management so she knew the best ones. It can depend on needs etc. Usually you get a mix now in homes of payers and non payers. It’s a very fragmented system and it’s just not as simple as that.

@saraclara

yes some council homes really are very good. It’s all dependent on management and how they retain the best staff and also how profit focused they are (not a good sign usually)
Big business 💴.
In the words of my mum who was a nurse for years managing homes. “Sometimes shiny things are shit”.

Thread has gone slightly off topic but interesting points about bungalows being converted, maybe this should be part of a blanket ban by all planning committees, to maintain the minute stock of bungalows.

Land is so expensive now to purchase I can kind of understand developers wanting to cram them close and sell for as much as possible. It's undeniable to say that bungalows are land greedy, especially if you factor in a decent garden and 2-car drive, which seem to be desirable based on this thread

@PoinsettiaPosturing

Yes my parents have dogs and the small gardens that bungalows often have is not desirable for them.

Just buy somewhere smaller, what's the problem?.

Retirement Flats are a nightmare to sell on, it took ages to get anyone interested as they come with quite high maintenance charges ( in excess of £200 a month) and have to have a long leasehold agreement in place. It was my late mothers flat we sold .

I would support the abolition of Stamp Duty full stop..so for everyone. I would not want cash incentives for home owners to downsize, in fact I'd be very much against. I would though for rental properties and most Local Authorities have schemes in place to support this.