Retirement apartments

Cosy …. Yes her rent covers everything!! Only thing she pays for is specific meals for her relatives when they visit ! No
Management charges!

Exactly nanna8 …..you get NOTHING for helping your self !!! I have several charity donations. …. These are going to have to go sadly !….. oh and the lady in question in the council retirement flat HAD her own house which she sold to give her children an inheritance BUT because it was longer than the seven years prior, she was allowed to move into the council property ….. lesson for us all!!

It is totally unfair. I have heard horror stories about privately owned retirement complexes and all the costs. I really fancied the idea, but on reflection I’m not so sure.

When you say “all inclusive” I assume you mean no service charge?

If you work hard and save your money the government won’t help you. If you never work,they will. Go figure. It is the same here. We get zilch from the government, not even a measly pension because ours are means tested. Oh, but the poor things were disadvantaged and that’s why they never worked. You must remember that. When we were working several jobs, feeling exhausted, we were just privileged people so we don’t deserve anything. Remember that.

Doodledog was right. Totally as expected responses on here.

Sorry you’re finding life difficult at the moment. Let’s hope free prescriptions for pensioners isn’t targeted in the budget. My opinion is that would be immoral.

Do places like the one in the old sitcom 'Waiting For God' still exist? I'm not sure what they would be called - retirement homes, as opposed to care homes, I suppose. Places for communal living where the residents can come and go, with more of a hotel feel than a hospital.

In your post, OP, you state that the person living in the alternative accommodation pays £800 per month. S/he does not receive "everything for NOTHING"
This does not mean that I am not in agreement with you about how the management and upkeep of private retirement flats are funded. The firms which operate them seem do particularly well. Perhaps these organisations should be the subject of your ire.

Presumably buying your retirement apartment was your choice and your solicitor advised you on the potential future costs.
There is no evidence about charging for prescriptions or implementing NI for pensioners, so that’s one less thing to worry about for the time being.
Many of us pay tax on our pensions, that’s life!
Getting yourself so angry, as indicated by your post won’t do you any good. Also there will always be people better and worse than you. We all make choices and have to live our lives accordingly.

If she has paid rent all her life then it was far more than you would have paid for your mortgage, you now have an asset she does not.

You made your choices.

Wait for the lectures on how you don't understand that not everyone has a chance to save .

I understand your frustration, but what is the answer? It seems to me that there are three options. We go back to workhouses and Cathy Come Home, with everyone expected to fund themselves. We carry on as we are and people get more and more resentful. Or we take contributions from everyone who is capable of contributing and have allowances for all (eg free education, health, child benefit, social care, pension etc).

If we go for the third option, anyone who felt they 'didn't need' the allowances should be able to opt out or anonymously give the money to charity, from where it can be redistributed to those they feel need it more than they do.