AIBU? Council repairs leaving my 86-year-old mum with nowhere suitable to live

[WhiteWinePls]

I am my mum’s full-time carer. She is 86 and has lived in her council home for all of her life. She has agoraphobia. That home has now fallen into such a dangerous state that it is uninhabitable while major repairs are carried out — likely for around 6 months.

The council’s “solution” has been to offer temporary accommodation that is completely unsuitable for her, given her needs. My mum, who has paid rent faithfully for decades, is being left with nowhere safe to go. At her age, with her health, this upheaval feels cruel and frightening. They’ve adopted a ‘like it or lump it’ position with no negotiation.

I have managed to find a flat that would keep her safe and stable until she can return home. I can also stay with her to provide the full-time care she needs. The problem is that the landlord is asking for 6 months' rent up front plus a deposit, and I do not have that kind of money as I am a full-time carer.

AIBU to ask if anyone has advice on where to turn — such as charities that could help or schemes like Discretionary Housing Payments — I would be so grateful. Also has anyone ever tried setting up a fundraiser in this situation, and do you think this would be appropriate here?

Grateful for any advice. Thank you.

Ask for assistance from the cab.

I think I'd be going through whatever complaints procedures they have. I'd be contacting my MP, I'd be seeking advice from help the aged, shelter and whoever else would listen. I'd be speaking to the local paper etc. it's completely unacceptable that the accommodation is unsuitable.

Have you tried contacting your local councillor? I think this is the sort of thing where they would intervene as the local paper potential is pretty substantial.

You could apply for a discretionary housing payment

I echo the speak to your mp as well

Sorry op, yanbu

Questions that CAB or your MP will ask include - why is the council’s option unsuitable? Is it council owned / private? Is it more expensive? How realistic is it that your mother continues to live alone? Will the temporary property be at risk given the history?

@Ineffable23 actually it was our Councillor who got the council to sort out the repairs in the first place. He’s been great. Prior to his involvement, the Council were quite happy to leave us in a rat-infested mouldy crumbling hell hole.

How on earth was her home allowed to fall into such a dangerous state that it is now uninhabitable???

And why is the temp accommodation offered, unsuitable for her needs?

Have you spoken to them about her needs?

I'd want those questions answered before I considered giving to a fundraiser.

The charity Shelter have a section on their website about alternative accommodation for repairs to council/HA properties and how to complain or receive compensation.
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/how_to_report_repairs_to_a_council_or_housing_association_landlord/tell_your_landlord_about_problems_during_repairs

Okay, that's really good - they will have a case and a record. Can you go back to them and explain that what's being offered doesn't meet your mum's needs?

How is the property in such a poor condition?

@arsed because the Council did not care.

@Ineffable23 do you think I should? I worry I’ve used up all his goodwill.

Have a look at Turn2us to see if your mum might qualify for any charitable grants. It's very easy to use their online grant finder.

Thanks @Toohightoofar .

She needs to accept the temporary accommodation then appeal as it's unsuitable, they'll have to then find something else more suitable, you get upto 30 days to lodge an appeal so you can try to make it work for a bit before making a decision if you want.

I doubt very much you'll get 6mths rent as a discretionary payment for several reasons.

First, landlords can't legally ask for that. You can offer, but they can't ask. They've done you a favour by letting you know they'd accept such an offer instead of flatly turning her down. It would cause problems with the housing benefit because the landlord can't legally give you a tenancy for rent payable 6 monthly. So she'd still be entitled to housing benefit monthly on top of the discretionary payment.

Second, you don't need to do this because your mum does have somewhere else to go - the temporary accommodation.

She'd still get housing benefit whilst in the private rental if you go down that route, so she could put the payment on a credit card then use the housing benefit to pay it off every month when it comes in. Obviously if the rent is higher than the LHA then she's liable for paying the shortfall from her other benefits, eg state pension, to clear the credit card.

I wouldn't do it though. I don't see how she wouldn't be ending her council tenancy. So she wouldn't be moving back in after renovation, it would be allocated to whoever is most needy on the housing list, which won't be her because she's adequately housed in a private rental.

Sounds really complex op, your poor mum.
You need to complain to housing stating why the alternative accommodation offered is unsuitable, why does it not meet her need specifically. How does this compare to the accommodation you have found?
Do you live with your mother Currently?
Has she agreed to moving out whilst works are competed. What does she think of the housing offer, does she have the money to pay for the rent and deposit in the accommodation you have found?

This sounds stressful OP, I think whatever course of action you take you need to be clear as to why the alternative accommodation offered isn't suitable.

I have no experience of council housing but your MP sounds like a good 1st step

I can also stay with her to provide the full-time care she needs

Who currently provides this care OP?
And where do you usually live?

(Is this about them re-housing the tenant but not her carer (you), who is then going to be homeless?)

Edit:
Actually, there's no way this is council funded. They don't fund 24/7 live-in care. So either she does need this level of care (and has been assessed as needing it by social services), in which case she could be temporarily placed in a care home if you're unable to stay with her to provide care. Or she doesn't officially need this level of care and she could have the usual 4x care visits per day at the temporary accommodation.

You've basically got no chance of the council housing you as well as her. The housing department won't go for that when they could shunt the cost onto the social care department if she has been assessed as needing 24/7 care. If she has been assessed as not needing it, neither department will care what you or her think about that. If she hasn't been assessed, get her assessed.

The void housing stock available to decant people in to is in such short supply, that finding your mum somewhere else might not be an option. That property has to be available, empty and safe to live in.

I'd take what is being offered and look at ways to support your Mum to cope.

You haven't said why its unsuitable, but realistically, unless she is a permanent wheelchair user and being put in a 3rd floor flat with no lift im not sure how much argument you have vs her living in a home that has been allowed to go damp and moldy.

It’s up to the tenant to keep the house in good repair though. If it’s so bad that she has to move out for 6 months that’s an awful lot of neglect that’s happened.
What is unsuitable about the property they’ve offered? Can she not move in with you for the duration if you’re her FT carer?

Contact the adult care team. Ask them to get an otto do an assessment and help you get accommodation that will meet her needs.

What is so bad about the temporary accommodation? Why is it so unsuitable?
Is this actually because it would be only for her and not for you I wonder?

What are these care needs that she has? You need to assess the council for a social care needs assessment. If she really has 24h support needs they will find her a place in a care home or they can put in a care package in the temp accommodation

PinkCamperVan is 100% right about why the private flat idea will not fly. If she moves out into a private rental then surely she will be deemed to have voluntarily ended her council tenancy. She needs to accept the temp housing and make the best of it for 6months. I very much doubt they have offered an 86 year old a normal B&B. Most areas have over 65 housing come up quite frequently vs general housing stock. I would have thought they would be likely to offer her a permanent move TBH.

Agree with the PPs. It's the tenant's responsibility to look after the house and that includes letting council officers and contractors in to update and repair. (Not relevant now obviously). My father refused admission to all council workers in his later years so left his estate with a big repair bill.

A new rental will also end her council tenancy.

That said, I have doubts about the good faith of this thread. Early mention of crowdfunder raises a red flag for me.