What would you do- HA rent or buy elsewhere?

Summerloveunderthetrees · 2025-05-17T10:58:39+00:00

İn a bit of a conundrum. A relative passed away and I'm being gifted some of the estate through deed of variance. I can't put it into savings as I'm on UC and disability benefits, but I do have enough income that I could get a very small mortgage and use the inheritance as a deposit. However I live in the south east where prices are astronomical and I'd have to move away and downsize from my lovely new build HA place. I have a young child as well, but we home ed, so changing schools isn't an issue. İt would just be a change of area, routine, friends, local amenities. I don't see family that often as they're about an hour away so that's not an issue. Just not sure....what would you do in my situation?

Thecompromise · 17/05/2025 12:02

It won’t affect disability benefits only UC. If
i was you I’d stay in my HA property , declare it as savings , go on holiday , buy any things you need / pay off any debts etc invest in your future somehow (more qualifications ?) and them reapply when you’re below the threshold again

Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 12:20

Thecompromise · 17/05/2025 12:02

It won’t affect disability benefits only UC. If
i was you I’d stay in my HA property , declare it as savings , go on holiday , buy any things you need / pay off any debts etc invest in your future somehow (more qualifications ?) and them reapply when you’re below the threshold again

İt would be gone in a few months if I did that. I don't want to waste it on frivolous things. I already have great qualifications I'm just unable to work because of mine and my childs' disabilities. The disability benefits don't even cover the rent here.

I want to invest it for our future.

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Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 12:21

I also don't want to have to reapply as I get LCWAW and the process was very long winded and stressful and I was lucky enough to get a good assessor the first time around.

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Geneticsbunny · 17/05/2025 12:37

If you want to keep the money then you have to move I think? There are places with very active home ed cummonitirs is various bits of the country. So that might be something to look for or do you maybe have friends or family outside the south east?

Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 12:40

Geneticsbunny · 17/05/2025 12:37

If you want to keep the money then you have to move I think? There are places with very active home ed cummonitirs is various bits of the country. So that might be something to look for or do you maybe have friends or family outside the south east?

İ have a sibling in Leeds so I could look around Yorkshire.

I'm pretty clueless with the areas though and what would be an okay area to move to.

I guess my best bet would be doing a swap to a council property before the estate is settled and then buying it with the discount, but that would mean more moving for my daughter and we've only recently moved to a nicer HA property. So many decisions, I'm finding it all very hard after we just got settled here.

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Geneticsbunny · 17/05/2025 12:50

Sheffield has a very vibrant home ed community. It's tough. I am guessing the money won't be enough to buy your current place? Isn't there a thing about having to live in an ha property for a certain length of time before being about to buy or does that carry from property to property?

Thecompromise · 17/05/2025 13:02

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 12:20

İt would be gone in a few months if I did that. I don't want to waste it on frivolous things. I already have great qualifications I'm just unable to work because of mine and my childs' disabilities. The disability benefits don't even cover the rent here.

I want to invest it for our future.

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Sorry I misunderstood I thought when you said income you meant you worked. I think the only thing you can do is buy a property otherwise you’ll have to declare it

Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 13:05

Geneticsbunny · 17/05/2025 12:50

Sheffield has a very vibrant home ed community. It's tough. I am guessing the money won't be enough to buy your current place? Isn't there a thing about having to live in an ha property for a certain length of time before being about to buy or does that carry from property to property?

The place I'm in doesn't have right to buy unfortunately. We live somewhere quite quiet so would need similar as my child has sensory issues and would struggle in a city.

At least I've got time to think about it I guess...

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Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 13:06

Thecompromise · 17/05/2025 13:02

Sorry I misunderstood I thought when you said income you meant you worked. I think the only thing you can do is buy a property otherwise you’ll have to declare it

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No worries, sorry I didn't explain it properly.

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Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 17/05/2025 13:07

Geneticsbunny · 17/05/2025 12:50

Sheffield has a very vibrant home ed community. It's tough. I am guessing the money won't be enough to buy your current place? Isn't there a thing about having to live in an ha property for a certain length of time before being about to buy or does that carry from property to property?

İt carries from property to property, so as long as you've seen a social housing tenant for three years you can buy the place you live in, if it has right to buy. My last place was council and my plan was to eventually buy it but the new government lowered the discount massively, so it wasn't worth staying there.

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starpatch · 17/05/2025 13:10

As someone who has done a similar move I think you need to be very clear how this will benefit you and your child. It honestly took 3 years for us to settle. There are cheaper parts of ghe southeast such as Ramsgate, Dover Folkestone.

fluffrat · 18/05/2025 20:24

I was in a similar situation as I had an inheritance and a HA tenancy. No RTB with that tenancy so I did a mutual exchange to a council flat which had RTB, and I used my inheritance as a deposit. It took about a year overall to get the exchange and go through the RTB, and I had to come off UC during that time, but I had PIP, child benefit and new-style ESA coming in. It was a couple of years ago, and the RTB discounts were much higher (£136k as I was in London). But it may be worth looking into mutual exchange options so that you can make use of RTB.

Original poster

Summerloveunderthetrees · 25/05/2025 19:12

fluffrat · 18/05/2025 20:24

I was in a similar situation as I had an inheritance and a HA tenancy. No RTB with that tenancy so I did a mutual exchange to a council flat which had RTB, and I used my inheritance as a deposit. It took about a year overall to get the exchange and go through the RTB, and I had to come off UC during that time, but I had PIP, child benefit and new-style ESA coming in. It was a couple of years ago, and the RTB discounts were much higher (£136k as I was in London). But it may be worth looking into mutual exchange options so that you can make use of RTB.

Sorry, just seen this. Did you swap after you already had the inheritance and that's why you had to come off UC? All the council houses in my area are in really rough parts of the town and they need so much doing to them, I'd have to move to a different part of the country to make it worth it.

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