Telling OAP's to sell their home.

If you are managing alone in your big house that’s good but nobody should expect help from the government so they can do the same.
I shall miss the winter fuel payment, I’m just over the limit, but I’m very willing to go without and be a bit chilly to held mend broken Britain.
Don’t we all want our social services, NHS, education, police etc funded adequately? They’re not going to ever improve if every single person affected objects to any change.

My BIL is widowed and lived alone. He is 75 and fairly healthy although he had a bit of a scare a few months ago and it made him think about the future.

He has a house in a very posh area where houses sell overnight but he says he could downsize and the garden is too big. He complains that it costs a fortune to heat. He is worried about the stairs in future. He has two daughters who only visit when they need something. His words.

He started looking at smaller properties then the girls told him to stay where he is! We all know they want him to stay so they end up with a very expensive house. They also put him off buying anything for himself, like a new car or a holiday but don’t mind him spending money on a new kitchen and getting decorators in to do the whole house and getting new carpets because obviously that benefits their inheritance.

Because we shouldn’t be relying on government or anyone else to subsidise us .
I can manage fine but if I couldn’t I would certainly be downsizing to keep my standard of living.

I wonder if people with low incomes and large houses have considered a lodger.. there are very definite tax advantages as you're allowed to keep £7.500 before tax.. and there would be someone to check if you for example.. had a fall or heart attack.

Some people can be very judgemental on here. Our house isn't particularly large, but it is old and hard to heat. We can't sell - for various reasons - and no, we don't get any financial support to heat it, so we just have to get used to being cold! Don't judge people without walking a mile in their shoes!

It's not so simple, just to think of downsizing.
We could, I suppose, but, in this area, we wouldn't benefit. We would end up paying as much for a much smaller property, then think of all the fees that come with moving.
So we shall be staying here for as long as we can.
After that, who knows?

Moving house is a massive and stressful undertaking and very hard when older and with physical limitations. It is not to be undertaken lightly. I did so a few years back when my OH died and it took me some time to surface.

Also the presence of known neighbours and community are valuable assets to someone who is becoming less physically able.

Moving can also have a detrimental effect on mood through loss of community and also being in unfamiliar surroundings.

Ideas that seem great on paper are not necessarily the best on the ground and in practical terms.

TopGunner
Good questions

So many people expect to have their lifestyles subsidised these days that it's not surprising the Government's finances are apparently in a perilous state.

Whilst I think removing the WFA so suddenly and with such a low cut-off point was wrong, should we expect this?
I think it would be better if the Government took on the energy companies rather than pensioners who were an easy target!

I take your point about losing your home, the one you bought and lived in as a married couple but we can take our memories with us.
The problem with downsizing is that there is absolutely nothing suitable in many areas. Who wants to leave a home and garden they love for a tiny flat, however convenient and economical it might be? The flats near here are cramped yet still very expensive.

It's no good beating people with sticks, they need some carrots.

That's equality.

Watermeadow: I don't think anyone is objecting to change but it's what is being changed that is the issue. If everyone who qualified went off and claimed Pension Credit the amount "saved" to fill the black hole would be minimal whilst at the same time penalising pensioners who had the rug pulled out from under them with just a few weeks notice. They were an easy target, like the farmers but it's ok to spend millions of pounds housing illegal immigrants and pouring money into the futility of net zero. I have never voted Labour in my life despite thinking that John Major and Gordon Brown could run rings round the bunch of incompetents that currently grace the front bench.

I’m sorry BUT if you can’t take responsibility for yourselves WHY should the government help you out?

If older couples or widow/widowers in large houses decide to stay put for whatever reason that’s fine. Just don’t complain or expect handouts.

My question is, why are we being told to downsize our homes - because that way a person can live better in a smaller place?

I am not a fan of moving house to be truthful but if it meant I would live a better/ more comfortable life, I believe I'd do it.
I would not expect others to fund something if I could do so myself.
My parents would have said to "cut your coat according to your cloth".

Obviously you need cloth to cut any coat!
If you can find a smaller/warmer/less difficult to run home I'd say to go for it.

If younger people, families for example, live in a home which exceeds their needs, they will be capped on the amount of help they can get, regardless of the fact that they'll see nothing for their money, except paying it out to the owner, if it's a private rental.

Also the presence of known neighbours and community are valuable assets to someone who is becoming less physically able.

Moving can also have a detrimental effect on mood through loss of community and also being in unfamiliar surroundings.

Two extremely important points.
We know our mpneighbours would be there if we needed them.
Moving is the second most stressful thing, apparently. Meeting new people, forming new friendship groups is not easy when you are getting older.

People complain long and loud at being treated differently because they are old (er)
Which is it to be?
You can't have it both ways.

The problem is that the State Pension in this country is far too low. Compare it with other countries and it’s easy to see how low it is. If the pension, paid for over many years, was a reasonable amount, no one would need a WFA.

spend millions of pounds housing illegal immigrants, buffyfly9

This is not true - and not really relevant to downsizing in my opinion.
Just saying, (not wanting to make a big thing of it).

We have a house larger than we normally need. We don't use all of it all the time, but it is needed when we have visitors.

We are heavily involved in local activities, the community and church. If we moved we'd lose all that. Nearly all the other houses in the village are as big (and expensive) as ours, or bigger, so no chance of moving locally.

What's the point of isolating ourselves by moving?

Other age ranges have problems too,though.

Settling children in and out of schools, commute times, and so on.

If I was struggling with bills and cold I’d move, as I did many years ago after a divorce. I’ve many memories of that house when my children were young, but it was just a house, clinging on to echoes of the past wasn’t practical and there’s no way I expected anyone to help me financially.

MissAdventure

Other age ranges have problems too,though.

Settling children in and out of schools, commute times, and so on.

Why do people move?

When people are younger then they could be relocating for work.
Yes, we have done that and coped with children who have left everything they knew behind, until they settle.

It's far easier to make new friends when you are younger than when in your 80s and less mobile.

Older people could be given incentives to downsize, in order to release a larger home for a family. It costs at least £20000 to move, stamp duty, solicitors etc plus more on top, to put fixtures and fittings in place

There really is no point in someone old moving if they can make part of their home cosy, if they have accessible bathroom facilities etc and are near buses and neighbours

Those who are clinging onto family homes for the memories, be aware that once a decision is made to move, the house does release you from its hold on you and the process becomes mentally easy although still physically difficult

Poppyred

I’m sorry BUT if you can’t take responsibility for yourselves WHY should the government help you out?

If older couples or widow/widowers in large houses decide to stay put for whatever reason that’s fine. Just don’t complain or expect handouts.

I tend to agree with you. People have choices, they might not be the choices they want, but nevertheless staying put or moving is a choice.

I take the point about not wanting to leave one’s home, neighbours, friends etc, but these houses are valuable assets and if one doesn’t want to downsize for whatever reason then look into the safest way of equity release or some way of borrowing against the value of the house.
If the family are expecting to be left the property ask them if they can help towards utilities and other bills.
If they can’t or don’t want to then tell them you will be taking some of the value to make your life easier and more comfortable.
A friend of mine didn’t need to ask, when her H died her AC said straight away that they would be paying her bills between them if she didn’t want to move.