This is quite difficult to write as it feels such a painful issue to me at this stage, but I'd appreciate objective views. DP and I have basically screwed up the whole property thing. We are 49 and 51 with a 10yo DC, privately renting. I've kind of given up on any thoughts of owning our own home, although I would dearly love to and bitterly regret not doing so when we were younger. After we got over being young and a bit free-range, we were endlessly priced out of ownership by house price inflation- every time we earned a bit more, prices had gone up crazily.
I had thought as our DD got a bit older I'd work more, go for promotion etc but because she is autistic and really needs a lot of support, I now expect to work part-time for the foreseeable future. My and DP's salaries seem to have shrunk not grown!
We do live in London, albeit not in an expensive part. I know we should probably leave but I have huge worries about finding the right place with decent autism support. Also I have a great support network here, and many longstanding friendships and a sense of community that means a lot to me. As my family all live abroad, and DP's parent are dead, we don't really have another part of the country to naturally gravitate to.
I'm really scared of our rent going up year on year, and getting poorer and poorer as we get older (we're already skint enough to be eligible to a small housing benefit contribution coz of the ratio of our rent and earnings). But what would you do? Housing association application? I imagine that would take donkeys years. At our age I imagine even shared ownership is out of the question. I can't think of solutions. Any thoughts? Sorry this is so long!