Paying for care when owns a property abroad

[sesameseedy]

My sister's MIL has returned from 25 years living abroad, has fuel citizenship, and is staying with sis. She needs help with a lot of things now, which is why she returned.

Sis can't manage helping with the personal care as she has some of her own issues and MIL won't let her son help as he's male.

They've contacted social services for a package of care.

The MIL has a house back in Greece she doesn't want to sell but at the same time says no one would buy it as its dilapidated.

Social services are saying she's therefore a self-funder as she has the asset. BIL is up in arms, writing to MP etc.

She's also applied for sheltered housing but I sure the same rule applies- she has a home, and also wouldn't be able to claim housing benefit ?

Does anyone know what is right in the scenario re the care and the housing?

I think that’s correct as the mil has assets apart from the house she is living in worth over £23250 I think.

Different rules for hb assuming she’s over state pension age but again assets in a different country are taken into account

I think it would be pretty unfair for taxpayers for her to waltz back into the UK after 25 years because she needs care AND expect the taxpayers to fund it and a new place to live while she owns a house elsewhere (major asset) and refuses to sell it to contribute like the rest of us.

@greatblueheron
Fully agree, your BIL has a cheek to think she should not have to pay for care.

I assume that she hasn’t been paying tax or NI in the 25 years she’s lived abroad? Then comes back here, expects the NHS / Social care / benefits system to kick in whilst she still owns property? I’m afraid that’s not how it works.
she needs to sell her house to pay for her care.

I think she's got a cheek as well! Just trying to help my sis who is less than pleased MIL has landed at theirs in the first place.

MIL has very little income and no savings so if they class the house as an asset (which I do think they should) she won't be able to pay for the care and I worry my sister will end up forking out (with BIL as they have a family pot not separate) and their income is modest.

I also don't think she should jump the queue at sheltered housing either which she's trying to based on overcrowding at sister's house.

Not sure why your BIL is objecting to her selling an un-needed property. That's what we save for all our lives isn't it? To cash in our assets to ensure we are safe and cared for in our later years. What better us of the money could he possibly come up with?!

It's not that he's objecting as such more that he's trying to meet his mother's wishes. I don't think he fully understands how it all works.

It could well be the case that it's a bit ramshackle- but seeing as MIL was living fine in it until a few months ago it must be habitable.

www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs25_returning_from_abroad_fcs.pdf

I don’t know about the property market in Greece, but my parents own a place in a rural part of a southern Mediterranean country, and house prices have plummeted so much they can’t give it away. I very much doubt theirs would reach the £23k threshold. It’s definitely not ramshackle, but is in an area where young people have all left, and is not a tourist area.
Could DS’s MIL be in a similar situation?

@NorthFaceofthelaundrypile That could well be the case. The unwillingness to try is the issue I guess.

Do they have property auctions there so she can show she has tried to sell it? Or could she rent it out for an income?

That's what we save for all our lives isn't it? To cash in our assets to ensure we are safe and cared for in our later years. Well, many of us saved to be able to give our children a helping hand, fund our grandchildren through uni. It’s only relatively recently that care has become such a huge problem.

There are ex pats who have paid into the Uk system when working for UKcompanies who have paid 20 years plus of full contributions and who are now entitled to nothing but a pension ( if we are lucky). Thats the way the decisons have been made and my choice for living abroad ..So enjoy my 25 years of NHS payments as I won t.

Is she a British citizen?
Has she paid tax and NI in the 25 years she was living abroad ?
It may be more complex than just having a property abroad as she may have no entitlement for funded care.

Of course.
But as we strive to cure everything, prolong even often poor quality of life in the millions and live longer and longer then this is the flip side.

BIL is up in arms, writing to MP etc.
BIL is an entitled arse. He needs to stick his hand in his own pocket.

I couldn't even access the breast clinic 9 months after arriving back in the U.K. the hospital agreed to waive fees though. I'm British but had been overseas for 5 years. It was only a cyst thankfully!

You need to reestablish habitual residence before benefits kick in