75 year old, no savings, pension or housing

[BreezyPanda]

Hi everyone,r

My dad moved abroad a long time ago for work. He ended up moving there permanently and starting his company. His company went bankrupt and he spent all his savings.

He moved in with my mum (his ex wife) but the situation didn't suit them anymore so he moved out. He's back in the UK now, where I am, but he doesn't have any permanent housing and no money.

Is there any solution? He has no pension.

Thank you

Are you serious, he’s 75?

Thank you, I'll look into over 55 housing!

He was abroad since his thirties

Your poor mum - and you...

Surely he paid tax in Spain while he had a business ? That would have included social security contributions and thus pension entitlement

It wasn't Spain
But from what he told me, he chose to withdraw the whole amount of his pension in a bulk, at once, and spent it all

That's appalling. Has he said what his plans are?

People get their NI numbers around 16, if he's British he'll have one.

He has no idea. He wanted to stay with my mum and then sell the house and take a portion of the money from the sale to become independent. But the house was bought with my mum's money, after the divorce, and is in solely her name, so I'm not sure why he thought she'd agree to that..

Thank you, I'll try to help him find it

I'm a bit younger than the OP's father - I'm 64 - but I was given my NI as soon as I turned 16: got a card posted directly to me. I was still at school at the time.

The OP's dad might have left school at 15, I guess, but I should have thought that he would have a number - even if he can't remember it.

Did he ever work in the UK before he left in his 30s, if so he would have paid NI and have some pension.

He would have needed his NI number to apply for his passports

This might be relevant...

A colleague of mine was a late entrant to teaching. When she was thinking of retiring, someone told her she might be eligible for an American pension because she'd worked in the US for a few years in her youth.

She contacted the American embassy and it turned out that she was eligible. She got a small pension (without being an American citizen) and it was a big help to her.

Might be worth contacting the relevant embassy for the gentleman in this case?

Only since his thirties? So he has paid some tax here then. That's good news.

https://www.gov.uk/find-national-insurance-number#:~:text=You%20can%20find%20your%20National,in%20the%20HMRC%20app

This should help @BreezyPanda

Seriously, some people think a 75 year old can just get a job?

It's well reported that employer age discrimination starts as young as 50. If already in work it can be different, but older jobseekers struggle to find places willing to hire them

There's also less job vacancies than there are working age jobseekers, so he'd be up against it when looking.

I don't know if they'll help but may be worth contacting adult social care, OP.

If you are in London for example then no chance
Out of interest, what happens to older people in need of housing there? Assume the housing issue in London is one reason why London has the UK's highest pensioner poverty rate?

Wow. So he spent all his money, lived off his ex-wife, wanted more of her money for himself and when he hasn't got that, he's back here and your problem to sort out? No words of advice but sorry you're having to deal with him. Unless there's some reason he's incapable of managing for himself, it's pretty selfish of him to create this problem for everyone else in his life.

Getting a part time job isn’t a bad idea when you’re starting afresh. Lots of shops employ over-70s, my local Sainsbury has a few who do a couple of weekly shifts. It might be good for him socially as well as financially.

But yes, obtaining his NINO is the first step. And if he’s paid 15ish years of contributions he’ll get a small state pension.

Good luck. I really hope he finds his feet.

Of course, most people expect a 75yo to work what is a quite physical job….

Nice to see the compassion.

He can claim basic state pension and pension credit. The housing he can apply for over 55 supported housing from the council there's a waiting list but much shorter for over 55 housing

OP I thought I'd make clear about state pension you can not have paid enough national insurance for the enhanced rate but everyone is entitled to the basic pension, he will also get pension credit ontop.

You might want to look at this thread here.
Lots of information that might apply to your dad re accomodation.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/4939417-what-does-a-62-year-old-man-on-just-above-minimum-wage-do-when-served-with-section-21-eviction-notice-and-cannot-afford-anything-on-the-current-rental-market?page=1

Age UK website has information about this scenario. The absolute maximum he will get is £177.10 per week.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/returning-to-the-uk-after-living-abroad-heading/#:~:text=If%20you%E2%80%99re%20a%20British%20national%2C%20you%E2%80%99ll%20be%20able,a%20plan%20to%20support%20yourself%20during%20this%20time.

They also have information about housing. He will not get housing anywhere there is high demand for housing. Warden aided housing can be easier to get as you pay a service charge on top of rent, but you need to meet the criteria.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/housing-options/renting-social-housing/

God what a nightmare for you to have deal with op, he's been very irresponsible with his money over his entire life by the sounds of it.

He has no NI number? Every UK citizen has an NI number. He may not know it but that doesn't matter. He can just send the form to get it sent to him... if he's never asked for one then one can be generated once he's proven citizenship.