Views on Selling Up and Moving?

CariadAgain

I know there are a variation on actuarial tables out there that will give estimated lifespan remaining according to what age one personally is at the time. I've been trundling along living my life thinking "83 years is average age of death for British women - whoops no.....make that 82 years 10 months to be precise. So they rounded it up then to the nearest full year to say it's 83" and then I found the set of tables where you put in exactly the age you are now and, at some point, a couple of years or so younger than the age I am right now they started adding in a bit more on the estimated lifespan for me personally and I think they've added about two or three years onto the average for me personally now. I guess their reasoning is the most unhealthy are included in the average and, at my age (ie early 70's) those "most unhealthy" have already died and so the average for those of us remaining got put up and will continue to get put up against me personally as I get older and still haven't died yet iyswim.

Anyways - I read the full explanation of that excuse for paying women less before now - weak attempts at justifying that. That still does not explain why they are dividing people up into "men" and "women" still. I remind myself that it took quite a while for women to be given the vote and I think part of it at the start was saying women had to be older than men before they got that vote at last - if my memory serves me correct.

Every time I get reminded that women didnt get our vote until a while after men got theirs I keep thinking "I must look back to see what the justification for that one was......they will have had some excuse or three for that injustice. A lot of women would have believed one of those excuses. Currently I expect a lot of women are believing the excuses for paying women less equity release money than men". There are women who will argue against their own sex and quote the excuses made for any remaining discrimination.

It does take a few minutes thinking to realise "Hang on in there a little minute - all they have to do is mix together the two sexes average age of death and take somewhere in the middle as the 'age of death for PEOPLE' and job done. Even I could do that and ask for the two sets of tables and amalgamate them to 'average age of death of PEOPLE'. Easy-peasy".

They will do so and take away that inequality one day - they'll have no choice. Meanwhile the best thing I can do is say "I personally refuse to be treated that way" and follow that by "I have an obligation to point out this discrimination - so that other women refuse to join these schemes - until such time as we are treated fairly".

I've wondered whether to play "silly b*ggers" on them (for they surely deserve it) by saying "I self-identify as a man. Now pay me as the sex I identify as - rather than the sex I was born. Gotcha! Now which sex are you going to pay me as?" and have a go at them legally for paying me as a woman (the sex I really am) or the sex I'd be self-identifying as. I'd be virtually standing there daring them and going "Go on....go on....you just try and prove I'm a woman....as I keep telling The World I'm a man now...". I get so tempted sometimes to try and hoist them with that petard - for they surely deserve to be....and I'm quite surprised (make that astonished) that no woman has done that to these companies yet. It will come - as the agegroup that go in for "self-identifying" in various respects gets to be older. I tend to think of "self-identifiers - as something or other" as being younger than gran age group and these companies are getting away with still doing this at the moment because "self-identifiers" probably are younger than the age group many of us are in currently and there's also the tendency most people have not to think/plan too far ahead into the future. I can remember thinking/planning ahead for my future as from my 20's - but I tend to reckon many (probably most) people arent "future thinkers and planners" and hence these companies are still getting away with it - AT THE MOMENT......and I will enjoy watching them getting their come-uppance at some point....

If you get your way it will be like equalising pension age they will just pay men the same as women So no one benefits

If you're only looking to be 25–30 miles closer to London, you might price up a buy smaller, spend less route rather than renting forever, like you could purpose a built over-55s block with lift and on-site manager. Also total cost matters more than headline price, so check ground rent and recent Section 20 notices. Stamp Duty on a modest purchase may be far less than a few years' rent. When I ran numbers for a relative, a small purchase with a decent contingency can come out cheaper than renting within five years. We got three sale valuations, one of them from Ernest-Brooks International via their online form, and asked them for likely buyer profile and time-to-sell, which helped shape the timeline

St Albans is certainly a very nice place and there are quick trains into London, obviously as long as you are somewhere in a bus route you would be able to get there quite easily (I'd not want to have to walk up that hill from the station often!)
Personally I'd not touch macarthy stone with a bargepole, having known someone who has moved into one, they were happy at first, but the management changed (change in ownership or something) they didn't have all the lovely stuff they'd been promised and I think the local authority bought one of the flats and used it to house a tenant who had problems and was disruptive, and there was nothing the other residents could do

If you are wanting a retirement flat, you could rent one of these on a short tenancy to see if it’s for you. My MiL bought hers and, as others have said, resale prices drop like a stone. Theres many bargains to be had where family members just want a quick sale. Yes, you have to factor in the monthly management fees. We rented out MiLs apartment when she died. The First Lady loved it but sadly died too. The Second Lady eventually bought it from us at a huge reduction from what MiL paid originally.
Could be worth a thought.
Alternatively I know that McCarthy and Stone offer rentals direct.

Absolutely Franbern. Actually I’m quite looking forward to transferring to a flat where I won’t have to wrestle with upkeep issues. I just can’t give up my garden just yet but I probably only need one more issue, like the roof last year, to tip the balance! Think 1000s😱

It’s all about taking a good look at how the management of the flats works and that will be in the lease and past records.

I thought Bluebellegrans post was very worrying for someone like the OP who is just exploring making a move.

Lathyrus3 thank you for this defence of the Service charge in leasehold flats. It is not the case (in any I know off) that 'charges can change at any time'.
Where I live = a block of 25 flats, we run our own management company, which 'owns' the land - so land rent is set at £1 per year and payable as part of our annual service charge.
In order to change the service charge we need to have a resolution carried with a good majority at our annual general meeting. All the accounts have to be issued to all flat owners at this meeting and nothing escapes the eyes of the flat owners. As all the Committee members (who may be proposing an increase) are also flat owners, they have it very much in their own self-interest to keep this as low as possible.

We usually propose a change in line with inflation to meet the added charges we have to pay for workmen, decorators, electricians, etc. also for increased charges insurance, for electricity to public areas, cleaning, water (all paid for from the service charge), and our service contract with British Gas.

If I was living in a house or bungalow, my annual expenses would probably be as high, if not higher if I was to keep that property in the same good order we keep our block of flats.

It does however, take away all the stress of having each of us to find plumbers, electricians, decorators, etc. etc. For me it is very good value indeed = and far from telling people to beware of such things, I would tell them to check WHO is the Maintenance Company, try to talk to other people living there now to see how they feel as to how well it is maintained,

With good replies it can mean that a move to such a place can bring peace of mind and far less stress in your future lives.

BluebellGran

Please don’t buy a leasehold property! Ground rent and service charges can be raised at any time and they are almost impossible to sell.

This is not correct. Ground rent can only be raised in line with the terms of the leasehold agreement, so anyone buying a leasehold property will know how the charges will rise when they buy the property.

There has been a misuse of leaseholds and charging in recent years in relation to some new build estates, but government legislation has dealt with that problem.

The majority of ground rents are fixed for the length of the lease or change at infrequent intervals. DD has just sold a house with a 999 year lease, originally, down to 890 years when she sold and the ground rent was set at £30 a year, for the length of the lease.

I owned a leasehold property on a 99 year lease with ground rent revisions in years 33, 66, 99.

Similarily, leaseholds do not all have service charges. DD's house had none at all.

BluebellGran

Please don’t buy a leasehold property! Ground rent and service charges can be raised at any time and they are almost impossible to sell.

That’s alarmist and not very accurate.

Ground rent can only be increased as specified in the lease. Of course anyone buying needs to look into that. Some will specify an yearly increase in line with inflation. Others may say something like ‘by £50 every 10 years”.

Whatever is specified can only be changed by the agreement of both parties. So you will always know before you buy the flat what any increase in ground rent will be. If it’s unreasonable you don’t buy.

As far as charges are concerned anybody would expect them to rise as costs rise. You only pay for the cost of your services - cleaning, gardening, repairs etc. You must be given a detailed breakdown of the costs and can challenge them at a tribunal if you think any increase is unreasonable or that the work has not been satisfactory.

I’m always a bit flummoxed at how people are horrified at service charges but don’t calculate what it would cost them to maintain their own home and pay for cleaning or gardening or safety systems and insurance

I guess it’s because you pay in separate amounts as needed and not in a regular monthly amount. Also I suppose you have the option of letting the window frames rot to save money n your own house😬

Please don’t buy a leasehold property! Ground rent and service charges can be raised at any time and they are almost impossible to sell.

Unless you can find somewhere you have long tenure, renting can be precarious in this day and age when landlords are being forced out of the market. It's not something I would do.

EmilyHarburn

www.almshouses.co.uk/

SIts worthsearching for all sorts of providers of sheltered accommodation that can be rented.

and so is
www.abbeyfield.com/sheltered-housing/

Almhouses have conditions on tenancy and OP is not without means if she sells her house. I'm not sure she would fit the criteria.

I know there are a variation on actuarial tables out there that will give estimated lifespan remaining according to what age one personally is at the time. I've been trundling along living my life thinking "83 years is average age of death for British women - whoops no.....make that 82 years 10 months to be precise. So they rounded it up then to the nearest full year to say it's 83" and then I found the set of tables where you put in exactly the age you are now and, at some point, a couple of years or so younger than the age I am right now they started adding in a bit more on the estimated lifespan for me personally and I think they've added about two or three years onto the average for me personally now. I guess their reasoning is the most unhealthy are included in the average and, at my age (ie early 70's) those "most unhealthy" have already died and so the average for those of us remaining got put up and will continue to get put up against me personally as I get older and still haven't died yet iyswim.

Anyways - I read the full explanation of that excuse for paying women less before now - weak attempts at justifying that. That still does not explain why they are dividing people up into "men" and "women" still. I remind myself that it took quite a while for women to be given the vote and I think part of it at the start was saying women had to be older than men before they got that vote at last - if my memory serves me correct.

Every time I get reminded that women didnt get our vote until a while after men got theirs I keep thinking "I must look back to see what the justification for that one was......they will have had some excuse or three for that injustice. A lot of women would have believed one of those excuses. Currently I expect a lot of women are believing the excuses for paying women less equity release money than men". There are women who will argue against their own sex and quote the excuses made for any remaining discrimination.

It does take a few minutes thinking to realise "Hang on in there a little minute - all they have to do is mix together the two sexes average age of death and take somewhere in the middle as the 'age of death for PEOPLE' and job done. Even I could do that and ask for the two sets of tables and amalgamate them to 'average age of death of PEOPLE'. Easy-peasy".

They will do so and take away that inequality one day - they'll have no choice. Meanwhile the best thing I can do is say "I personally refuse to be treated that way" and follow that by "I have an obligation to point out this discrimination - so that other women refuse to join these schemes - until such time as we are treated fairly".

I've wondered whether to play "silly b*ggers" on them (for they surely deserve it) by saying "I self-identify as a man. Now pay me as the sex I identify as - rather than the sex I was born. Gotcha! Now which sex are you going to pay me as?" and have a go at them legally for paying me as a woman (the sex I really am) or the sex I'd be self-identifying as. I'd be virtually standing there daring them and going "Go on....go on....you just try and prove I'm a woman....as I keep telling The World I'm a man now...". I get so tempted sometimes to try and hoist them with that petard - for they surely deserve to be....and I'm quite surprised (make that astonished) that no woman has done that to these companies yet. It will come - as the agegroup that go in for "self-identifying" in various respects gets to be older. I tend to think of "self-identifiers - as something or other" as being younger than gran age group and these companies are getting away with still doing this at the moment because "self-identifiers" probably are younger than the age group many of us are in currently and there's also the tendency most people have not to think/plan too far ahead into the future. I can remember thinking/planning ahead for my future as from my 20's - but I tend to reckon many (probably most) people arent "future thinkers and planners" and hence these companies are still getting away with it - AT THE MOMENT......and I will enjoy watching them getting their come-uppance at some point....

www.almshouses.co.uk/

SIts worthsearching for all sorts of providers of sheltered accommodation that can be rented.

and so is
www.abbeyfield.com/sheltered-housing/

If this is your final move and you want to rent why not look at sheltered Accommodation
shelteredaccommodation.co.uk/

This is different from supported accommodation which has care. My neighbour, a widow for years and reather lonely has moved into a sheltered accommodation scheeme near here which has a resturant where she can get a id diay meal and she is renting her little 2 bedflat. she likes the people and if she is happyshe is going to sell yer home.

Cariadagain
I had a quick check years back and found that they would pay a man of the exact same age as me in the exact same home as me a higher amount of equity release money than they would me!!!!

This difference would have been based on actuarially calculations that shows that the man you were speaking of had a shorter life expectancy than you so the company making the equity release were likely to get the capital and accrued interest back from this man several, possibly, many years, before they would have got the money from you.

If you had compared your quote with that of other women, you would have possibly found the same thing, that the amount some other woman was lent could be more than you were lent - or less, even if you were next door neighbours in identical houses. All depending on your age and calculations of your respective life expectancies.

You have already explained the reasoning, and that is great. I always think people can look through rose coloured glasses at an area , without a real knowledge of the good and bad points. So, my go to idea, whether you know the area or not, is to go for 2 weeks or even a month, going to a b/b or possibly rented flat. Then you really find out all those little bits you wish you had known about before you bought. Is what appears to be a peaceful road actually a rat run in the morning rush hour etc. What matters to you in every day life? Are you a great reader with a lovely library close by where you are now. Where is the library in relation to the new area. How far to the swimming pool or gym etc etc. I really do think it is worth the money and effort to do this. You gain a much better idea of the reality, find out that either you cant wait to move there , or realize that it is quite different than you thought and are relived to return to your present home!! As we get older, we have made patterns of things in life, go dancing or playing bridge etc etc. The way we make our groups of peoples with similar interest , or enjoy sharing something, I think, are more important than what the looks of something. Do you have friends or acquaintances who have recently moved? What were their best and worst things about the moves, and do they feel pleased that they have moved or wished they had never left. But in the end it has to be down to you, you are the one going to move , and need to live with your choice. I am from yorkshire but my fathers promotion meant that we lived in Letchworth and then I lived down in Mill Hill, and have actually moved 19 times as an adult and 7 times as a child! After living abroad and all over the place I am very happily retired in Yorkshire, and whilst I enjoy visiting cities for specific things such as paintings and music etc etc , the life I live now gives me a far better choice than being in london. So take a very serious look at the area you think you want to go to and really do your homework, but then go for it. As far as we know we only have 1 life, make the most of it!

CariadAgain Heaven - rather presumptuous of you

SporeRB

Since you have no one to inherit your property, have you consider equity release?

You can then use the money to take many trips down memory lane to Herts and London and treat yourself to a world cruise and holidays.

Not sure about retirement flats, the yearly maintenance will be a great concern to me.

There is still sex discrimination on equity release schemes - even nowadays!!!!!

I had a quick check years back and found that they would pay a man of the exact same age as me in the exact same home as me a higher amount of equity release money than they would me!!!!

The justification/excuse for that being "Oh well - the actuarial tables say the average man doesn't live as long as the average woman. We wouldnt really/honest injun be paying a man more than you - it's just that his money would be compressed into an assumed shorter life".

B*llocks! is all I can say to that. It's long past time the actuarial tables didn't have a male side and a female side - and men and women were amalgamated. I guess the reason this discrimination still applies though is that they figure some men would scream at having their money reduced - so that women could have all our money. They think women will "put up and shut up" and those of us that would be screaming that some of our money was being stolen off us by sex discrimination will just make up our minds that we'll never enter one of those schemes - so no-one can do that to us and kick us for being women.

My advice being - don't under any circumstances whatsoever rent if there is any alternative. For you there is - ie you own a house.

So maybe you could sell that house - but you would need to buy another place of your own instead.

Rentals are insecure!!!!!! Add there's a lot of bad landlords/ladies around. Add that you can't do what you please to it. Even public sector housing isn't as secure as it was - when I had a public sector place years back (ie 1970's - 1980s) I had total security of knowing I could rent it as long as I pleased. Thinking of a younger friend of mine now - she's got to see if they will renew her tenancy a year at a time these days and has to ask their permission to do anything much to it.

Private sector will be a sight worse.

Already there are reports of people getting chucked out of private rented housing - and illegal immigrants taking their place (because the Government will pay more for them).

I have no-one to leave my (owned by me) house to - as my erstwhile brother and his family turned out to be just as grabby as I'd long known they would be. It does give me some satisfaction to know they obviously want to inherit my house (for their adult children) when I die - and they arent going to get it and I've told them so.

But I'll just leave my house to charity instead come the time. I'm not going to concern myself beyond that - I'll just be too busy in Heaven celebrating the fact I've seen the back of Earth and all its problems to be concerned about having left my house behind me.

I was born and bred in St Albans and still live here, it is a lovely place to live. We are not over run with retirement homes as such, I can’t help you with any info on that unfortunately. But I know there are some lovely developments close to all amenities ie centre, train station. If I come across any on my travels I’ll drop you a DM. Good luck

£60 a week for keeping the property in good order, doing the garden, house insurance and someone on call for problems.

That sounds cheap to me. I pay £50 a month just to get the grass cut!

Whatever you do, please think very carefully about any of the sheltered or assisted places. My mother paid for hers and then was forking out £60 per week in service charges. These do include external maintenance, emergency pull, house insurance and gardening, but it does increase.

I did this 3 years ago! Sold my old 3 bedroomed house and moved into a rented flat. I did not move far (I was already living in London) but I am so glad I did this. The maintenance on the old house was crippling and all my money was tied up in it. I now have money in the bank and no maintenance problems. I was very lucky in that the perfect flat came along at the right time so I would just suggest that you make a list of what you want (mine included a balcony and a spare bedroom) and take your time finding the right property.

Have you thought of buying or renting in a retirement community in perhaps Hertfordshire so you would have a ready made place to get to know people and have GP plus Shop /Restaurant and Leisure facilities close at hand?

I'm 70 in January and looking to move. I'm using Chat Gpt to help me. IMHO it's brilliant