Service charge more than rent!

[ImagineRainbows]

My adult child is about to move into supported housing as he has disabilities, as such renting in the open market isn’t possible for him.

These are the costs we have been quoted for a 1 bedroom flat.

Rent - £107 a week (payable to the LA)
Service charge - £130 a week (payable to the supported living company)
Care fees - Just shy of £2000 a week - paid by adult social care

The service charge covers gas, electric, water, repairs and maintenance to shared areas. It DOES NOT include any care fees as these are covered separately.

How is it acceptable that the service charge is more than the rent! More than I pay in utilities in a 4 bed house and more than anyone would pay on the open market but because it’s supported living it seems the can charge what they like and it’s vulnerable people being absolutely bankrupted with these insane fees!

Going to have to turn it down as it’s unaffordable which means he misses out on a place where he can be independent and have the care he needs. And we wonder why so many vulnerable people fall off the radar!

What money/benefits does he receive?
Is there anything else you can claim for?

Such a shame to have to turn it down?

I'm in a fairly bog standard / run down midlands town and 1 bed flats are £800 per month rent only - this seems like a bargain to me!

That's a total of 237 per week rent and unities.

Per month it's 1027.

It's not a cheap rent and utilities but it's not that bad.

If that’s including all the utilities as well as maintenance I actually don’t think that’s too bad, is his rent uncovered by any benefits? Surely some of it should be covered, have you checked what he’s entitled to?

It will likely mean he won't need to pay any contributions to his care
Hiw much is he left with from his benefits? Is it a nice flat?

I don’t think that sounds ok. Bills are expensive I pay a lot more tbh. Have you had a benefits check done? I wonder if he’d be able to get housing benefit to pay the rent and then it becomes affordable.

Did you miss that the figures are weekly? It’s over £1000 a month.

He gets UC - £311 and PIP - £290

His benefits come to around £600 a month.

He will get housing benefit to cover the actual rent but the service charge will mean he is left with £80 a month to live on.

Claiming everything he is entitled to leave him with £80 a month to live on.

That’s rent, bills and service charge though, it’s a realistic figure. The real issue is the benefits being too low I think. Is finding something cheaper realistic for you or is it this or nothing?

That doesn’t sound too bad seeing as it also covers gas, electric, water, maintenance etc.

Though £80 a month obviously isn’t enough to live on unless you could help him financially to top it up.

Is he able to work at all?

It’s a 1 bed studio. LA housing so in disrepair as usual. Will need a lot of work doing and a deep clean but liveable once the work has been put in.

When you consider that a private flat can be rented round the corner for £800 a month all in that’s newly decorated and comes furnished however it’s shocking value for money but he doesn’t have mental capacity to sign a tenancy agreement so no other options.

It’s this or he stays at home. He doesn’t have mental capacity to live alone.

He has severe learning disabilities and needs almost constant care.

I would help him financially if at all possible to help him gain independence.

Maybe in time you could downsize?

Can you help subsidise his living at all then? As I assume you’d be doing this anyway if he has to stay living at home

The universal credit figure seems very low. Is it reduced due to having savings?

We will already have to take on the cost of paying for the things his PIP is currently used for, you know the thing it’s ACTUALLY designed for (covering the additional costs of disability) as he will need to use it all to pay living expenses. So we wouldn’t be able to afford anything extra. He’s going to have to stay at home with us.

It’s reduced because he’s under 25.

So if it will increase once he’s 25 it would only be temporarily that you would need to subside him so heavily?

I guess the other option is wait until he’s 25 to leave home but if this flat is a good option for him it seems a shame to lose it.

There is no way it costs over £500 a month for a 1 bed flat. In my 4 bed house it’s £150 a month gas and electric combined. £35 a month water. £15 a month estate maintenance (new build). His will be over double for 1 person what I pay for 4 people.

The flat is a converted house split into 2. The only shared area is a single staircase. There is no lift or facilities etc. to maintain. There is no garden, balcony, car park etc. to maintain.

Presumably he claims benefits and Universal credit would cover some of the service charges although not things like heating and water which everyone has to pay for anyway.

That’s still 4 years away. It’s not possible.

The whole reason that this move has been promoted is the fact that my partner can no longer afford to be out of work to care for him, for the grand sum of £81 a week carer’s allowance. Returning to work means he has no care.

Yet more government madness. Pay a private company £2000 a week to do the same as we are expected to manage to do on £81 a week.

UC won’t pay any of the service charge.

And it does not cost over £500 a month for utilities on a 1 bed flat. Thats more than I pay for my 4 bed house.