Who is supposed to underwrite/guarantee the care home fees

[amigababy]

so dm has been assessed as needing FT residential care due to dementia, she is currently in hospital and has a social worker assigned.

I have been NC with her for about 8 years (there are reasons) and my sister lives abroad. There is a house which can be sold, and I have been asked to clear it, which I can do. I've been round there once to collect what paperwork I could find, to pass on to an appointed solicitor who is going to apply for a Deputyship in the Court of Protection. I also looked at 2 care homes recommended by and at the request of the social worker, and chose one. So far so good.

However - the solicitor won't sign anything for the LA guaranteeing repayment of any care home fees, until the Deputyship comes through - around 6 months?
The care home I chose has a scheme whereby they (not the LA) accrue the debt for the fees till the residence is sold, but Social Worker says they need me to sign as guarantor that I will repay the fees out of the sale of the house. Which raises various questions:
-what if the house doesn't sell for ages and the care home get stroppy?
-how can I guarantee repayment via a house sale, when the house, and any other assets, will be under the control of the solicitor anyway, so I am not actually connected to the ownership or selling of the house.

• more in general, how would an LA proceed in this situation if a person literally has no relatives around? (I know that's not the case, but in effect it may as well be)

The house might be worth about £250k and I saw that there was about £10k in a bank account. Nothing more, unless I discover something while tidying. i.e I would say dm's assets excluding the house are below the £14k level that I've been reading about.

Are the LA just trying to avoid offering a deferred payment scheme to dm, and hoping that I will take up the slack instead with my own guarantee. They don't seem happy with the 6 month legal delay either but surely this is standard?

Feel like we're going in circles with them, anyone got any advice about what I should do or say next? Thanks in advance.....

bump for the evening

Why dont you try posting on the Alzheimers Society Forum "Talking Point".

There is a legal section and lots of knowledgeable people.

FWIW I would not sign anything unless I was absolutely sure of the mechanism by which you would get the money back, and think it would be unreasonable to expect otherwise.

that's a good idea, thank you.

Hello OP

I have no experience of care homes, but shoudn't your sister be involved with this too?
I know she lives abroad but there is not much that she wouldn't be able to do from there?
She can phone and email solicitors and estate agents the same as you can.
Considering you were nc for such a long time, it shouldn't fall to you.

she's receiving all emails and ringing me for updates, but I'm the man on the ground, so to speak . She talks about coming over but it would be brief, plus she says she had no spare money for travel.