Downsizing - the Housing Minister's latest idea

If the government care to pay me the sum my house is worth I would be happy to downsize, smaller bills, less garden to maintain and funds to travel the world.

However I want in return not only the property's value but a suitable property to buy with at at least 2 bedrooms (so family can stay especially USA lot) , kitchen, dining room, sitting room, a bedroom cum craft room and a workshop for OH to play in. On second thoughts that is what I have - apart from the smaller garden!

The government say they are going to help pensioners downsize.

The only way that this could make an impact in alleviating family housing needs would be if a vast number of the elderly population vacated their homes.
It is it unlikely that an army of pensioners would volunteer to downsize.

Therefore, I am fearful that the government rather than addressing immigration and house building issues, intends to force people out of their homes by further increases in the cost of living or by using compulsory purchases orders.

The media have shown that the government, some councils and banks have made huge financial losses by inept decision making. The question needs to be raised why do we tax payers bail them out of their mess.
If we ran our household budgets as badly, no one would come to our rescue.
What say you ?

my husband and I took a 20 year mortgage out when Mrs Thatcher was first elected. It was a struggle but we managed. We had three sons very close in age. They visit us often with their wives and children and some times stay over night . So we will not be down sizing as we enjoy are family.

I find my house difficult to keep as clean as I would like but that is because I'm basically idle when it comes to housework; I'm quite capable really, but there's more to life than wielding a duster. As we're getting older I look at houses in the paper and we just wouldn't be able to get our stuff into one of these newly built properties. The lack of storage is abysmal and there's no garden. I like having the space to have all my family round for a meal. I like having space to have my grandchildren round to play - and to have sleepovers when necessary. We've worked hard to pay for our home and perhaps in the future we may have to take stock but for the time being Mr Shapps' comment has made me want to dig in and put up the barriers. And as for Mr Bliar...........!!!!!!!!!!

How many mansions does Tony Blair have now?

It pains me to say this as I have always been a Royalist but are ER and Philip going to be moved out. Buck Palace is far too large for the two of them. Think how many families you can house in there if it is turned into flats.

I am also not happy about the latest Government discussion - each "Senior" (I refuse to be known as a pensioner) is to pay up to £60,000 for care. If that happens it will completely swallow up the price of our bungalow which my husband and I have worked hard for. It's about time we all got together and took to the streets. There are plenty of other places where the Government should start saving before targetting those of us who have worked and contributed all our lives. When is someone (Age UK are you reading this) going to take the Goverment to the Court of Human Rights on behalf of us Seniors. We are surely entitled to the basic human right of a decent standard of living. Every other group in this country takes one of the Government departments to Court and wins their case.

Well said absentgrana There are estates near to us with lots of empty properties, were social housing.
We bought our present house 40 years ago and the mortgage interest rate was 15%. We have just extended and renovated it at 25 times the original cost of the house. Am I about to downsize and leave it ? no I am not.
I know someone who let their property while they worked in Oman, when they came back they had to get a court order to get the tenants out and then had to strip the house back to the bare brick walls and rebuild the inside.

It's the assumption that we're too old and too daft to make decisions for ourselves and then carry them out that is so irritating. What would be a far more useful exercise is to do something about all the properties standing empty and unoccupied. There are so many that if they were refurbished and rented out or sold, the housing shortage would be on the way to being resolved.

I downsized ten years ago. My thinking, change while I can; not when I have too. When presented with the kitchen: my comment "my larder is bigger then that". When will the pressure be put on me to to downsize again. I have a two bedroom flat. SORT OF. Happy single nan. Size is everything!!

Impressed, Geraldine; you made all the right points. Thank you.

Yes Geraldine brilliant. Pity you didn't get a bit longer! I woke up at 5.45 and didn't dare go back to sleep in case I missed you - how's that for devotion?

No you were brill. I hope more gransnetters saw you. I think there is a touch of hibernation in the air (yes i am still working in bed... and if I am getting stuff done then why not...)
I agree the barriers to making a move are big and won't be easily overcome. They's have to do something really radical like make the rental income tax free maybe? Or offer to buy the house AND cover the costs of moving AND give people a personal housemove assistant.

definitely not the case

Thanks Jess - thought you were feeling not one of us for a moment there! x

Sorry Carol - "the overwhelming majority of posters on this thread" - not meaning to give offence but to challenge the tone of outrage.
I have been known to have a rant myself from time to time but there is some value in this idea. I do fear that someone reading the above could conclude that someone has suggested coercion, which they have not.

Clear points, well put x

Well done Geraldine, very clear, very measured, points very well made. Thank you for being there to represent us.

'....you lot?'......

Very eloquent Geraldine nice to see a grown up discussion with lots of valid points made by both guests.
(Without Today style interruptions.)

Gosh - I am amazed at the extent to which you lot have taken this personally as if someone is threatening to make it compulsory. No one is even talking about sending men with dogs around are they. This is something they are going to offer to people who want to move.

This is a pilot scheme by one local authority. The minister is just trying to get brownie points by saying what a good idea it is before it has been tried. Ministers have a way of rolling things out without waiting for pilot schemes to be evaluated. So that would be one of my concerns. The other concern I have is whether the local authority could do a good job as rental agents. Given the patchy job that rental agents do. And the patchy job LAs do of managing their own housing stock. The house would eventually go to the persons estate.
But the idea of finding ways to help older people to downsize is a good one, especially in the current housing market.
Sometimes they are widowed and can't face looking after house and garden alone, or being in a larger property alone. Some older houses are very expensive to heat. Not everyone is surrounded by lovely supportive neighbours.

I was talking to someone the other day who has rented her house and moved into Extracare and is delighted at the choice she has made.

That is the telly is it on BBC1 - you need to enlighten some of us as we only listen to the wireless in the mornings!

There are so many strands to this Big Brother idea. I wonder how much will be saved in Pension Credit costs if older people can be bullied out of their 'too large' properties so that they can be rented out to the 'deserving needy' with the capped rents that our government has recently dumped on Claimants?

Any pensioner on Benefits would need to declare unearned income received in this way (very nice tax gathering, much better rate than basic) and would no longer have any claim to Benefits. More savings for the Exchequer and it would also create jobs. I wonder what would happen if your rental income was interrupted for any reason?

As the administrators of the Scheme every Local Authority would need to employ more staff and pass on the costs in admin charges to the owners of the properties. As managers of the properties would they be free to decide on what was judged to be an acceptable standard for the property and select any equipment or fittings that needed to be repaired/replaced? This government has already set out on the path of giving even more power and authority to the Local Authorities. This would create lots of jobs for yet more public servants. What a lovely way (not) of charging those who have already paid through their own efforts to be able to pay the mortgage on what is for so many their only asset.

Of course it will also help with another of this government's schemes in lowering rents which would be followed naturally by lower property prices as it would be so much cheaper to rent.

Then they will be able to make another claim that they are making it easier for first time buyers to get on the property ladder. Of course, the price could drop rather too fast if a lot of properties become available in a short time.

What the government has not told us anything about is where and under what conditions, these older people, who will be once again contributing to the tax system and giving work to an ever expanding army of public servants, will be expected to live.

The pensioners are being asked to give up their homes; their opportunity to have guests or family nursing help when needed; their goods; their friends; their support network; their known transport arrangements for shops; doctor; dentist; clinic; etc; and familiar routines at an age when change is even more difficult.

Words fail me to truly express what I feel about this proposal.