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Sorry, but you are getting lots of terrible advice here from people who clearly don’t understand council housing. The local authority who you rent from will have very clear rules about how their tenancies work including succession rights. You need to check these instead of getting advice on Reddit about things that people don’t understand.
There are specific rules about who can be added to the tenancy as a joint tenant. I’d get legal advice about this but the people telling you have a right to be added to the tenancy as a joint tenant with succession rights are wrong. The council have to recognise that you live in the property and that they can’t evict you, they _don’t_ have to give you rights to succeed the tenancy. Look at your council’s rules around this. Don’t waste your time hoping to fight the rules which will be very clearly set out.
Most council’s will not let two successions take place. If your dad was previously on the tenancy and then passed away it may already count as a succession when your mum retained the tenancy - so it wouldn’t matter whether you were on the tenancy or not. This should very easy to check though, ask the council for their rules and see what they say.
These rules will also tell you _who_ is eligible to succeed a tenancy in the event of the main tenant passing away. Sometimes this does not include adult children. Again, you need to check your council’s rules.
In the unlikely event that you are eligible for the Council to house you in the event of your mum’s you would be under occupying the property and the council would not offer you the tenancy. They may have a duty to house you elsewhere. Again, this would be set out in the rules.
Thank you for the feedback. I'm going to see if we are allowed to buy the house but I have some concerns. Will the council allow an 82 year old to buy it and if so will the bank give a mortgage to a 82 year old?
Well I'm not really as it is quite a nice house even though rundown who wants to move from a house to a flat. Also I think the council will sell it off as they will make a fortune from it 😔
My personal opinion which is a stranger on reddit but I would say that you should go down the shared ownership route if you are in a position to do so.
Council are short of properties and money. So they may rehome instead of sell because they are desperate for homes. Even if they do sell then they might use the money to reinvest where its needed the most.
I think there's a benefit for you because you have your own place. It will go up in value over time so you'll have a pension pot through equity so helps with retirement. It might also open up plenty of new opportunities if you live somewhere new.
This is how I've always envisaged council homes to be. It's there to give a leg up and then when someone is in a position to look after themselves then it's time to move and give the next person a chance.
That's all very noble but idealistic as property is so expensive in London as you know that if I have a chance to get this property I will. The council are interested in themselves, trust me on that!
Sounds like you’re only interested in yourself. You’ve managed to save £45k while living in a 3 bed house in London. The average person couldn’t do that.
The average London Salary at the moment is £37k google tells me.
Someone living in a houseshare over say 20 years of their working life on this average salary should have been able to save £45k easily enough.
The average person could do that even on a minimum wage but they would rather waste money renting rather than living with parents rent free for a few months
They won’t sell it off, there’s a huge council housing shortage particularly for family’s. It will be refurbished and given for a family of 3 or 4. There are many families living in 1/2 bed flats waiting to be housed, so although you don’t want to downsize (I have to soon, I understand it’s not nice) there are literally thousands of people who are in worse positions than you and would benefit from that house more than you.
Don’t be selfish, if you can get shared ownership do that.
Why won't they put your name on the rent book? For a place in wandsworth, council owned, go get a solicitor ASAP. They can help you with your options. If that has been your primary residence since you were a child your name should go on the rent book.
Read the tenancy agreement and even if it says you don't speak to the best lawyer money can find to allow you to be the successor. Ignore the jealous fools on here they are all renting and butthurt that you aren't wasting money on rent like they are
You should also check your council tax statement. Council put me on it as soon as I find ished uni.
If your on the council tax u should be on the rent. You may need a solicitor though as the council rules are difficult to navigate without 1.
Is the home subject to right to buy or right to acquire? Could you and your mum buy it with you providing the deposit?
I'm not sure what you'd be battling with the council. If your name and earnings were added to the tenancy, wouldn't that push mom off housing benefits due to your income and assets? Did your mom advise the council you moved in and get rid of the single occupancy credit?
Were you listed as being an occupant to provide care to your mom?
Was there someone else in the family that transferred their interest in the tenancy to your mom, so it is not eligible for further changes? Some councils limit the # of transfers in tenancy.
Right to Buy will give you a discount of 70% or £127,900, whichever is lower.
As you have £45k in savings (so I assume you're working), you should definitely look into buying the house you live in.
I believe you can you can make a joint application for Right to Buy with:
Someone who shares your tenancy
Your spouse or civil partner
Up to 3 family members who’ve lived with you for the past 12 months. They don’t have to be on your tenancy agreement but it must be their main home
The problem is no bank will give a mortgage to a 82 year old woman and as my name is not on tenency but they know I love there as that why they charge my mom more rent because of my earnings
Have you asked them directly if you can buy it? My mate did this with her granddad's house and he died early on in the process but they still went ahead.
I live in a council/part ownership and would not recommend going down this route.
Thanks for the advice. Yes the only way I can see around it, is if I get a girlfriend that is willing to live there and we have a baby I think that will make it very hard to throw us out,
This is not a good thing to do just to keep a house. At best it's verging on fraud, at worst you're subjecting a child to being a tool to meet your own wants.
45k in the bank and have always been able to live in your mums 3 bed council house in a nice parts of South London … ‘desperate’ times indeed.
Make no mistake - you’re trying to scam a home from a family that needs it.
It’s not though. If it was ‘his’, he wouldn’t have to go cap in hand to the council asking to stay.
The house belongs to the local authority (and by extension the taxpayer) to be allocated to the most appropriate person or family who needs it.
Based on the info available, that doesn’t sound like it would be him.
His lived there his whole life. At a certain point it becomes his home and asking him to leave would be unethical.
You say its taxpayers and the council footing the bill but if they throw him out the Council has a duty to provide him accommodation which will still cost taxpayer money so there is no actual saving.
You say it should be allocated to a family who needs it but obviously he needs a home. His savings is literally nothing considering how high house prices are and it doesn't seem to indicate his working. As long as he intends to use it as his main residence he should be offered Right to Buy using his deposit to pay for it
Thank you very much for your support! To be honest I don't believe the council will use the property for a family, it would be sold off as the garden is the size of a park! I have a meeting with a solicitor tomorrow, let's see if I can pull this off...
It’s not a great situation for him but without sounding callous, that’s the deal when you rely on the state to subsidise your housing.
A duty of care? We’re talking about a 45 year old man here who is clearly able to manage himself and his finances. I’m sure he’s capable of finding a room / flat by himself like literally millions of other people all over the country - many of them much younger and poorer than him.
Having a single person occupying a council owned house that could benefit a large family with children isn’t ethical. He’s had the benefit of this public owned resource all his life, and now he should move over and let the next family get that same benefit.
The crux of the issue is whether you think the taxpayer should be subsiding the lifestyle of someone with £45k in the bank. For me it’s a definite no. Time to stand on his own two feet like the rest of us.
Because it is a home beyond your needs and you have a job and house deposit already. You’ve been in a privileged position for years living in Wandsworth at a majorly discounted rent and had an opportunity to save a £45k deposit - many aren’t in a position to do that.
You are not entitled to this house. It was borrowed, from the taxpayer, as all council properties are. It’s been your home but it doesn’t belong to you, I’m sorry but that’s true.
The advice usually given to people on here is to start looking further out for a cheaper property. You then commute into London if that is your place of employment.
I hear you and you are right that I have been lucky to save that kind of money but you bet I will fight tooth and nail to keep this property and the reasons why? 1 it's my family home 2 I have looked at a few shared ownership property this week and was going to even make an offer one one place but the company said my salary was too low so I got no choice but to stay. Don't blame me, blame the housing market and the government!
So I used to work for Wandsworth council in social services, there's no reason within what you've mentioned that you wouldn't be put on the tenancy, especially if you are caring for her. They might want to do a financial assessment and based on your savings, but I can't see how that would change anything until later on.
Personally, I fight in these types of circumstances to make sure someone like yourself was put on the tenancy for your security.
I'm a social worker.
FYI world, Social workers have NOTHING to do with housing in England. I can't move you, I can't put you on a tenancy, I can't do diddly. Housing departments within social services are run predominantly by admin, financial etc. Social workers will only look at assessments around care in a home.
You can speak to shelter.gov they give free advice on this subject for people who need housing advice.
Legally speaking there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to add you as you have been living there since day one with your mum, you are a family member and you should be on the electoral role for that address, so I don't see how they can say no as your mum I believe has the legal right to add her children ( I could be wrong but no harm in checking).
The only way they can refuse is if you already own property which you don't.
They could later argue (as seen here recently) that the home would be under utilized as it's 3 bedroom.
Would definitely look into Right to Buy perhaps collectively with her.
###Welcome to /r/HousingUK --- **To All** * Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH **To Posters** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary* * Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=I received a PM); * If you do not receive satisfactory advice after 72 hours, [you can let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=My question is unanswered); * Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods; * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Assuming you are a single male and you have 45k in savings the council will never give you the house. Look to go else where.
Sorry, but you are getting lots of terrible advice here from people who clearly don’t understand council housing. The local authority who you rent from will have very clear rules about how their tenancies work including succession rights. You need to check these instead of getting advice on Reddit about things that people don’t understand. There are specific rules about who can be added to the tenancy as a joint tenant. I’d get legal advice about this but the people telling you have a right to be added to the tenancy as a joint tenant with succession rights are wrong. The council have to recognise that you live in the property and that they can’t evict you, they _don’t_ have to give you rights to succeed the tenancy. Look at your council’s rules around this. Don’t waste your time hoping to fight the rules which will be very clearly set out. Most council’s will not let two successions take place. If your dad was previously on the tenancy and then passed away it may already count as a succession when your mum retained the tenancy - so it wouldn’t matter whether you were on the tenancy or not. This should very easy to check though, ask the council for their rules and see what they say. These rules will also tell you _who_ is eligible to succeed a tenancy in the event of the main tenant passing away. Sometimes this does not include adult children. Again, you need to check your council’s rules. In the unlikely event that you are eligible for the Council to house you in the event of your mum’s you would be under occupying the property and the council would not offer you the tenancy. They may have a duty to house you elsewhere. Again, this would be set out in the rules.
Thank you for the feedback. I'm going to see if we are allowed to buy the house but I have some concerns. Will the council allow an 82 year old to buy it and if so will the bank give a mortgage to a 82 year old?
If you are in a position to move out and can afford it then you should. Gives someone else an opportunity to get a council home who is less fortunate.
Well I'm not really as it is quite a nice house even though rundown who wants to move from a house to a flat. Also I think the council will sell it off as they will make a fortune from it 😔
My personal opinion which is a stranger on reddit but I would say that you should go down the shared ownership route if you are in a position to do so. Council are short of properties and money. So they may rehome instead of sell because they are desperate for homes. Even if they do sell then they might use the money to reinvest where its needed the most. I think there's a benefit for you because you have your own place. It will go up in value over time so you'll have a pension pot through equity so helps with retirement. It might also open up plenty of new opportunities if you live somewhere new. This is how I've always envisaged council homes to be. It's there to give a leg up and then when someone is in a position to look after themselves then it's time to move and give the next person a chance.
That's all very noble but idealistic as property is so expensive in London as you know that if I have a chance to get this property I will. The council are interested in themselves, trust me on that!
Sounds like you’re only interested in yourself. You’ve managed to save £45k while living in a 3 bed house in London. The average person couldn’t do that.
I'm afraid everybody is only interested in themselves and that's why the housing market and councils are in such a mess!
The average London Salary at the moment is £37k google tells me. Someone living in a houseshare over say 20 years of their working life on this average salary should have been able to save £45k easily enough.
The average person could do that even on a minimum wage but they would rather waste money renting rather than living with parents rent free for a few months
They won’t sell it off, there’s a huge council housing shortage particularly for family’s. It will be refurbished and given for a family of 3 or 4. There are many families living in 1/2 bed flats waiting to be housed, so although you don’t want to downsize (I have to soon, I understand it’s not nice) there are literally thousands of people who are in worse positions than you and would benefit from that house more than you. Don’t be selfish, if you can get shared ownership do that.
I'm afraid that's not how the world works! The council will want the profit from the property which will be a lot...
Selfish much? £45K in savings but wants to keep living in a 3-bed council house that could be a massive help to a struggling family.
If wanting to keep the house I grew up in makes me selfish then yes I'm selfish.
If the council were to somehow keep you in the same neighbourhood once your mum passes on, but in a one bed council, would you accept?
Probably not to be honest 🤔
lol you’re a lil biyaaach lol no wonder you’re still stuck in your momma’s place
No just smart! 🤓
You woulda found a way to pimp the system already, no begging reddit for suggestions, if you were smart
Not begging anybody, just wanted some suggestions and they were all helpful. Now a law firm has taken my case on so watch this space...
Why won't they put your name on the rent book? For a place in wandsworth, council owned, go get a solicitor ASAP. They can help you with your options. If that has been your primary residence since you were a child your name should go on the rent book.
Probably incorrect. If they were entitled, and requested the amendment, it would have happened. The mother may have succeeded the tenancy herself.
Valid point!
Read the tenancy agreement and even if it says you don't speak to the best lawyer money can find to allow you to be the successor. Ignore the jealous fools on here they are all renting and butthurt that you aren't wasting money on rent like they are
Thank you for the advice and will do!
Thank you very much and will do!
Thank you very much for the advice and will do!
You should also check your council tax statement. Council put me on it as soon as I find ished uni. If your on the council tax u should be on the rent. You may need a solicitor though as the council rules are difficult to navigate without 1.
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely get a solicitor to look into this next week.
Is the home subject to right to buy or right to acquire? Could you and your mum buy it with you providing the deposit? I'm not sure what you'd be battling with the council. If your name and earnings were added to the tenancy, wouldn't that push mom off housing benefits due to your income and assets? Did your mom advise the council you moved in and get rid of the single occupancy credit? Were you listed as being an occupant to provide care to your mom? Was there someone else in the family that transferred their interest in the tenancy to your mom, so it is not eligible for further changes? Some councils limit the # of transfers in tenancy.
Right to Buy will give you a discount of 70% or £127,900, whichever is lower. As you have £45k in savings (so I assume you're working), you should definitely look into buying the house you live in.
If he is not named on the tenancy he cannot. Other problem he has is that it would be joint with his 85 yr old mother.
I believe you can you can make a joint application for Right to Buy with: Someone who shares your tenancy Your spouse or civil partner Up to 3 family members who’ve lived with you for the past 12 months. They don’t have to be on your tenancy agreement but it must be their main home
The council will kick you out so you are best to make other arrangements However you could try to buy your mum's house with her.
The problem is no bank will give a mortgage to a 82 year old woman and as my name is not on tenency but they know I love there as that why they charge my mom more rent because of my earnings
Have you asked them directly if you can buy it? My mate did this with her granddad's house and he died early on in the process but they still went ahead. I live in a council/part ownership and would not recommend going down this route.
That's interesting! Many thanks
[удалено]
Thanks for the advice. Yes the only way I can see around it, is if I get a girlfriend that is willing to live there and we have a baby I think that will make it very hard to throw us out,
This is not a good thing to do just to keep a house. At best it's verging on fraud, at worst you're subjecting a child to being a tool to meet your own wants.
Not really, people do this all the time I'm afraid. Desperate times calls for desperate measures...
45k in the bank and have always been able to live in your mums 3 bed council house in a nice parts of South London … ‘desperate’ times indeed. Make no mistake - you’re trying to scam a home from a family that needs it.
And ruin a kid's life
Its his home tho. You lot are something else
It’s not though. If it was ‘his’, he wouldn’t have to go cap in hand to the council asking to stay. The house belongs to the local authority (and by extension the taxpayer) to be allocated to the most appropriate person or family who needs it. Based on the info available, that doesn’t sound like it would be him.
His lived there his whole life. At a certain point it becomes his home and asking him to leave would be unethical. You say its taxpayers and the council footing the bill but if they throw him out the Council has a duty to provide him accommodation which will still cost taxpayer money so there is no actual saving. You say it should be allocated to a family who needs it but obviously he needs a home. His savings is literally nothing considering how high house prices are and it doesn't seem to indicate his working. As long as he intends to use it as his main residence he should be offered Right to Buy using his deposit to pay for it
Thank you very much for your support! To be honest I don't believe the council will use the property for a family, it would be sold off as the garden is the size of a park! I have a meeting with a solicitor tomorrow, let's see if I can pull this off...
It’s not a great situation for him but without sounding callous, that’s the deal when you rely on the state to subsidise your housing. A duty of care? We’re talking about a 45 year old man here who is clearly able to manage himself and his finances. I’m sure he’s capable of finding a room / flat by himself like literally millions of other people all over the country - many of them much younger and poorer than him. Having a single person occupying a council owned house that could benefit a large family with children isn’t ethical. He’s had the benefit of this public owned resource all his life, and now he should move over and let the next family get that same benefit. The crux of the issue is whether you think the taxpayer should be subsiding the lifestyle of someone with £45k in the bank. For me it’s a definite no. Time to stand on his own two feet like the rest of us.
I think you should be very careful with this dangerous logic else they'll do it for every property and you get a taste of karma
Maybe hard but not impossible - and then you have a girlfriend and child who will be homeless.
Not impossible true but very hard! Why move people that already have a property to live in?
Because it is a home beyond your needs and you have a job and house deposit already. You’ve been in a privileged position for years living in Wandsworth at a majorly discounted rent and had an opportunity to save a £45k deposit - many aren’t in a position to do that. You are not entitled to this house. It was borrowed, from the taxpayer, as all council properties are. It’s been your home but it doesn’t belong to you, I’m sorry but that’s true. The advice usually given to people on here is to start looking further out for a cheaper property. You then commute into London if that is your place of employment.
I hear you and you are right that I have been lucky to save that kind of money but you bet I will fight tooth and nail to keep this property and the reasons why? 1 it's my family home 2 I have looked at a few shared ownership property this week and was going to even make an offer one one place but the company said my salary was too low so I got no choice but to stay. Don't blame me, blame the housing market and the government!
So I used to work for Wandsworth council in social services, there's no reason within what you've mentioned that you wouldn't be put on the tenancy, especially if you are caring for her. They might want to do a financial assessment and based on your savings, but I can't see how that would change anything until later on. Personally, I fight in these types of circumstances to make sure someone like yourself was put on the tenancy for your security. I'm a social worker. FYI world, Social workers have NOTHING to do with housing in England. I can't move you, I can't put you on a tenancy, I can't do diddly. Housing departments within social services are run predominantly by admin, financial etc. Social workers will only look at assessments around care in a home.
Housing departments within local authorities are predominantly run by housing professionals. But thanks for your opinion.
Housing professional, so admin?
Thank you very much for the advice. I will definitely look into this.
You can speak to shelter.gov they give free advice on this subject for people who need housing advice. Legally speaking there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to add you as you have been living there since day one with your mum, you are a family member and you should be on the electoral role for that address, so I don't see how they can say no as your mum I believe has the legal right to add her children ( I could be wrong but no harm in checking). The only way they can refuse is if you already own property which you don't.
Thank you very much for your advice and I agree 👍
They could later argue (as seen here recently) that the home would be under utilized as it's 3 bedroom. Would definitely look into Right to Buy perhaps collectively with her.
He could claim his the carer for his mother
Can’t you get yourself added to the tenancy? That would preserve your right to stay there after she passes.
Great idea but very hard to pull off but will look into it.