Page 6 | To think renting in old age is a wise move

Forthelovagod · 2023-06-21T11:02:36+00:00

So I've had a mortgage since I was 21. My Dad drummed it into me that rent was dead money, that if I could afford to buy then do it. My whole mindset since then is get mortgage free ASAP and this will help make things affordable in old age. My parents are now elderly and my Dad has now changed his thinking. Feels the burden of his mortgage free home due to ongoing maintenance stuff and reluctance to trust tradesmen. He tells me now, rent, get a HA property if possible, that there will be less worries in my old age. His friend is in HA accom, think he wishes he was too Is this crazy thinking? He is certainly not as sharp as he was but part of me sees his point. Aibu to think that those in secure rented accommodation in old age may actually be in a better position. Now considering that once my mortgage is paid maybe sell my house and give my dc some money for their futures and see them enjoy it rather than wait till I die..... Aibu to think my Dad may have a valid point

AuntieJune · 21/06/2023 17:23

Zippedydoo123 · 21/06/2023 16:48

Once I am too old to enjoy the benefit of homeownership I am planning to take a tablet so my son does not lose his inheritance. If it starts getting too much for me then I will be happy to leave the mortal coil. Ds is 18 and he knows this. I am not suicidal but think we should be put down at a certain age before it gets too much. No doubt a controversial view but I say it as it is. We should ideally be culled rather than families go through hell watching their loved ones in their decline wasting away in nursing homes or awaiting social services assessments in their own homes. The lists are too long and benefit nobody. Euthanasia seems the kindest option quite frankly. As I doubt governments will do any mass culling...!

I bet as a teen you thought life was over by 30 or 40 tho right?

Most older people don't take their own lives, so maybe your perspective will change!

StarmanBobby · 21/06/2023 17:23

'She’s fine. There are plenty of us with that view and hoping assisted dying will be legal by the time we reach that point. I feel exactly the same, I don’t give a shit about the money but I certainly don’t want my son to see me disappear a bit at a time with dementia.'

Well, no-one wants to die suffering so they? But it doesn't mean that that's the way it has to be either. I know lots of older relatives who had very quick deaths, heart-attacks etc after good quality of life surrounded by loved ones.
THAT poster is talking about 'culling' older people.

Weird, and insulting to the elderly quite frankly.

EmpressSoleil · 21/06/2023 17:24

It’s a pride issue though

Hahahaha. OK! You tell yourself that 😉

QueenVerilas · 21/06/2023 17:26

LegendsBeyond · 21/06/2023 17:18

It’s a pride issue though. A lot of us want to pay our own way & buy our own home rather than live off the state. I’d feel embarrassed to live like that, unless I was in a desperate, penniless situation

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Oh wind your neck in. Living in social housing is not ‘living off the state’. People pay rent. You have no idea what that poster’s circumstances are either which mean she will be entitled to benefits. But if you’d rather live in a country where people are destitute if they can’t fully support themselves, there are plenty of other countries in the world that better fit your outlook that you might wish to emigrate to.

Blossomtoes · 21/06/2023 17:27

StarmanBobby · 21/06/2023 17:23

'She’s fine. There are plenty of us with that view and hoping assisted dying will be legal by the time we reach that point. I feel exactly the same, I don’t give a shit about the money but I certainly don’t want my son to see me disappear a bit at a time with dementia.'

Well, no-one wants to die suffering so they? But it doesn't mean that that's the way it has to be either. I know lots of older relatives who had very quick deaths, heart-attacks etc after good quality of life surrounded by loved ones.
THAT poster is talking about 'culling' older people.

Weird, and insulting to the elderly quite frankly.

In which case your relatives have been very lucky. I watched my mum die slowly with dementia and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. It’s not weird and I’m nearly 70 and not remotely insulted. Allowing people with no quality of life to die is humane, we treat humans worse than animals in that respect.

Dildoslag · 21/06/2023 17:28

QueenVerilas · 21/06/2023 17:18

if you are in decent HA/ LA property he has a point. My parents bought their council house and came to regret it as they couldn’t afford the upkeep and maintenance. They had so little money that benefits would have covered their rent in retirement too.

Private rented sector in this country is a different matter, expensive and still quite insecure due to landlords selling properties when it suits their life stage. So I wouldn’t want to be in that in old age.

My dad regrets not buying his council house but now at 70 is finally seeing it as a blessing in disguise as he wouldn't have been able to afford the maintenance costs. He receives housing benefit. If he had a private pension he wouldn't receive housing benefit and would be paying that to the council for his rent. I'd rather spend my private pension on other things (even if it is new carpet etc) so would prefer to own my own home.

Whiskyinajar · 21/06/2023 17:39

LegendsBeyond · 21/06/2023 17:18

It’s a pride issue though. A lot of us want to pay our own way & buy our own home rather than live off the state. I’d feel embarrassed to live like that, unless I was in a desperate, penniless situation

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🤣🤣🤣

I am working full time and paying rent in social housing.

Get over yourself.

EmpressSoleil · 21/06/2023 17:46

No doubt that poster thinks SH is "subsidised" (it's not). Plenty of people in private rented get HB/UC for some or all of their rent. Even home owners can get their interest paid if they run into trouble on their mortgage. But no, apparently those in SH are the only ones "living off the state".

pinksheetss · 21/06/2023 17:52

Icannoteven · 21/06/2023 15:02

Yabu. There is no security in renting whatsoever. Nobody wants to be turned out of their home every 6-12 months (or have to deal with rent hikes) in their old age. Especially if you are reliant on your local community for help or socialising (or have dementia and need to be in familiar surroundings).

Add to this the low standard of rental housing (damp, mould, disrepair etc) and the restrictions on tenants (no ability to make modifications or decorate without the landlords consent) and renting in old age is a terrible idea. It would have major implications on a persons wellbeing, health and finances.

Of course, all the above could be fixed with with an overhaul of our tenancy laws, was there the political will. In the current system though -bad idea.

You've totally missed the point here and all of this relates to private renting - council and HA renting are totally different and offer a lot more security and ability to decorate house as you wish

TakeMe2Insanity · 21/06/2023 18:13

Blossomtoes · 21/06/2023 14:33

Only if you’re worth more than half a million.

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Most property in London is considerably more.

FarmGirl78 · 21/06/2023 18:14

Quitelikeit · 21/06/2023 17:13

And you do know if you don’t pay the care home then it’s the government that does? Hence why they want you to have assets to use as payment

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think we're looking at different sides of the same coin. My point of view is not about who pays the money, it's about me having enough money to pay for somewhere damn good that the "free" option wouldn't cover. I've been into places that no-one with money would ever choose to be in, and I've been into places where they employ a butler with suit and tails just to open the door. The government would never ever fund a place somewhere like that. People without means to pay wouldn't get placed there, and people who ran out of money would get shipped out to somewhere else. I want to have assets to find somewhere plush where I'd choose to be.

Blossomtoes · 21/06/2023 18:16

TakeMe2Insanity · 21/06/2023 18:13

Most property in London is considerably more.

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And anyone who isn’t happy with a half million tax free windfall is just greedy.

BorgQueen · 21/06/2023 18:33

You would get a grotty 1 bedroom flat as a couple, if you were lucky. A kitchen in a HA property is poor quality and only gets replaced after 30 years, my Sister is disabled but they wont put her a shower in because her bathroom is only 26 years old, she doesn’t even have a shower from the taps.
Her ceiling is currently badly damaged due to a leak from upstairs, they’ve told her to wait till it dries out then paint over it .
Her brand new kitchen is nice but she was only ‘allowed’ 2 wall cupboards, she had to plead with the fitters to give her an extra few inches of work surface.
She’s been on the list for a bungalow with a wet room for 10 years now.

Beezknees · 21/06/2023 19:10

LegendsBeyond · 21/06/2023 17:18

It’s a pride issue though. A lot of us want to pay our own way & buy our own home rather than live off the state. I’d feel embarrassed to live like that, unless I was in a desperate, penniless situation

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What a weird comment 😂 not everyone is in a position to buy their own homes. I couldn't afford to if I wanted to, and I work full time. I like my HA property, I certainly don't feel embarrassed that my wages aren't enough to buy my own house, that's not my fault.

HomeSeck · 21/06/2023 19:20

I've just checked our local council and you can't register to get on the list for social housing unless you have less than £16,000 in savings and a single/combined income of less than £45k pa.

Do other councils really let anyone register? 🤔

You'd have a lot of capital to get through from a house sale to get to that level of savings.

Yourmumhastwocats · 21/06/2023 19:38

knittingaddict · 21/06/2023 14:50

Or you could be like my parents living in a tiny (and I mean tiny)1 bed HA bungalow, getting under each other's feet and on each other's nerves.

Some people on here have a bad case of rose coloured spectacles. I wish I could show you their home. I'm convinced no one here would want to live in it.

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Or like my uncle and his wife in a tiny HA bungalow.
How many people on MN could survive comfortably in a 1 bedroom property which just about meets the national minimum standard of 50m2? This reduces to 38m2 for one person and 37m2 if there is a shower rather than a bath. Bear in mind these figures are gross and include the hallway, partitions, built in wardrobes, cupboards, ducts etc.

Beezknees · 21/06/2023 19:47

Yourmumhastwocats · 21/06/2023 19:38

Or like my uncle and his wife in a tiny HA bungalow.
How many people on MN could survive comfortably in a 1 bedroom property which just about meets the national minimum standard of 50m2? This reduces to 38m2 for one person and 37m2 if there is a shower rather than a bath. Bear in mind these figures are gross and include the hallway, partitions, built in wardrobes, cupboards, ducts etc.

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Me, easily. I don't have a lot of "stuff" and I'd happily do less cleaning! But then I live in a HA property with DS anyway and it's a small 2 bedroom flat, with a kitchen and living area all open plan. Only one cupboard for storage, all I've got in there is the hoover, clothes rack and the Christmas tree. I'm used to not having a lot of space.

Crikeyalmighty · 21/06/2023 19:50

@knittingaddict Yep and is why we will buy a reasonable 2/3 bed shared ownership and buy our share bit outright- (I've checked into this) if I went for HA/council i think they might offer us one (both over 55) but a 1 bedder- and going from a very nice if pricey 4 bed private rented would mean getting rid of most of our possessions and totally getting on each others nerves if I'm honest

Blossomtoes · 21/06/2023 20:00

HomeSeck · 21/06/2023 19:20

I've just checked our local council and you can't register to get on the list for social housing unless you have less than £16,000 in savings and a single/combined income of less than £45k pa.

Do other councils really let anyone register? 🤔

You'd have a lot of capital to get through from a house sale to get to that level of savings.

Yes. There are no financial criteria here. It’s based on points awarded on family size and other indicators of need.