Telling OAP's to sell their home.

When we were having our house valued a couple of years ago, prior to moving to a bungalow, an estate agent of many years experience told us he sees large numbers of pensioners who leave it far too late to downsize/move to appropriate accommodation.
Doesn’t it place a burden on other people if you stay in a house too big for you?

kircubbin2000

You need to plan ahead when moving. I'm amazed at my friend 80 who has just moved into a little terrace house with really steep stairs and no downstairs toilet or shower. I think upstairs only had a bath.

Fully agree with that one. I've got a married couple that are very good/very longstanding friends of mine and neither of them have had decent health for quite some time now and they're now in their 80's. It's gotten even worse for him recently and they're still in their starter house (ie a Victorian terrace house with problem stairs). There are two bathrooms - one upstairs and one downstairs - but they're both not very practical (as both of them have baths, but neither has a walk-in shower - even of old-fashioned tiny size). Those stairs won't take a stairlift. Cue for things like the latest health incident of he'd just about managed to climb those stairs and then landed up on the floor and couldnt get up again (cue for him ringing 999 and they went through a great long questionnaire with him and then refused to come out - even though he literally couldnt move to get up). Followed by he rang 111 and got that great long questionnaire again - this time from them and he still had to wait some time before they came and picked him back up. They told him they're a team specially dedicated just to picking people back up again - as they don't have the strength to do it themselves (ie there's a lot of people that land up in that position).

I can see bungalows in their/my old city and a nearby town that I think would be much more suitable for them - except I'm quite surprised that some of them would have to have the bathroom ripped out - as they only have a bath and there isn't room for even an old-fashioned tiny size shower/never mind our huge modern ones of these days.

My own parents had a much more suitable home - but there was still problems - ie the one bathroom it had also had a shower over the bath and not even an old-fashioned size freestanding shower separate from that. Cue for nagging from myself for quite some time before my mother had the bath ripped out and a shower cabinet put in instead.

Hence one of the first things that I had done to my current house was ripping out the bathroom and replacing the bath with shower over it with a huge walk-in shower instead (though that was a decision made by me in the 1970s - on inspecting Danish homes whilst I lived there a while and it seemed to be their norm already to have huge walk-in showers). I can't implement the decision I also made whilst living in Denmark to have a sauna in my home (as there isn't room) - but I've done everything else I decided on all those years ago, including that big shower and I highly recommend them as much more practical than British bathrooms used to be/many still are.

Difference between the prices of them = I should think their starter terrace is probably around £250,000 value and the sort of house they need/I wish to see them in around £400,000 value.

Well, I feel that having a cat would benefit me no end but I live in a flat, with no garden.
If anyone wants to support me financially to move, and get myself a kitten...

Yes please!

NotSpaghetti

^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).

Are you joking?
Housing and supporting asylum seekers for the year 2023-2024 is 4.7 billion.

MissAdventure

Well, I feel that having a cat would benefit me no end but I live in a flat, with no garden.
If anyone wants to support me financially to move, and get myself a kitten...

Yes please!

I’ll post you one, expect it next Monday😻

Purr-cle Force?
Black and white, please.

Allira

I've just bought some Damart vests!

Haven’t we all??? 🥶

yes, with long sleeeves too. And long john's.

Hmm, I wonder at the cost of heating in the UK if the elderly are not making ends meet.

I pay the equivalent of 153 GBP for both electric and gas for my 5 bedroom home. I use an equal payment plan so that I don't het higher bills in the winter with higher use. it is averaged throughout the year.

If anything, I think your government should look at the energy companies and see if they are price-gouging.

And I do think that we need to have a reasonable look at our housing as we age, keeping in mind our budgets and our physical needs. We are only early 60's yet, so have some time, but If I were widowed or one of us disabled, then downsizing would be sensible.

Fleurpepper

We live in a jouse far too big for us- but we love having family and friends come to stay, and have organised the house so we only heat and maintain 'our side' for when we are alone.

If and when it gets too much, and too expensive because of Sterling values falling even more (60% down since we moved here, its a massive loss), we will just have to sell. Couldn't possibly expect others to subsidise us for living in a property too large for us. Why should anyone expect this?

I'm guessing that some elderly folk leave it late in the day, so to speak, and then can't face the disruption and stress of looking for something more appropriate for their needs. The expense involved is also a factor, which amount would have to be taken into consideration when looking at an alternative property. I think this is rather the case as opposed to pensioners expecting others to subsidise them.

Whilst I agree with you in principle - life doesn't always run according to plan and I think people put off moving, especially if their home holds long memories and the anxiety of dealing with decades of hoarded "stuff" becomes overwhelming. And then... they become too old to cope with it, particularly if they don't have family around to help.

Of course, one should plan ahead. But sometimes, life happens, and these decisions get put on the back-burner. And that moment when it gets too much is sometimes the point at which you can't face the upheaval.

What type or where it is situated, or size of house people, of any age CHOOSE to live, and I emphasise choose is nobodies business but their own.

I really object to the way jumped up little consultants in second and third rate think tanks keep turning on older people and tell them they ought to buy smaller properties to free houses up for families, are talking nonsense. To begin with many of the houses freed up in this way would not be suitable for families, at least, not those struggling to find a family home on a small income.

Many will be larger houses with prices out of the right price range, others will be in poor condition and the time and money needed to modernise them, will make them unsuitable for families. others will simply be in places where there is no back log of families desperately looking for family houses. Map the distribution, around the country, of elderly households and families with school age children and they do not match.

There is more to feeling happy than just the size of the house. It is familiar, it holds memories, it is surrounded by a community within which the older person is embedded and most of all it is their choice to live as they do. What right has anyone to tell them that these things do not matter?

How would these young smart a***s feel were we to inspect how they live or want to live and point out that their obsession with living near coffee shops, night life etc etc are quite unnecessary. There are plenty of areas where property suitable for them can be found at prices they can afford. OK the nearest Coffee shop, a Costa Coffee in a motorway service station is 20 miles away, they would have a 2 hour journey to work, on a good day, and all their friends are even further. The property they would get would be suitable for their household size and they would be able to afford it. Nothing else counts. Yet, this is what these people are demanding of older people.

They also never mention the million or so people under retirement age living in 'oversized' properties. DD, living alone, is in the process of buying a house described as having 5 bedrooms. She has an intended use for every room and will only have 3 rooms designated bedrooms. But whose business is it other than hers and how would all the other younger people told to sell up and buy 2 bed flats feel about being ordered to move?

Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If younger people tell me how to live. I should have the right to do the same to them.

Of course I know that some people will stay in unsuitable houses and make problems for other people by their decision, but that is their choice and if they can live with the down sides, let them.

What we do need is some way of helping those who do want to move, but aren't able to by reason of age or disability. But that is a completely different problem.

Rant over, Oh, I do feel better!

My question is, why are we being told to downsize our homes, I love my home, I have been here since we married in the 1960's and raised a family here, my home is my heart, when I go out and go back home again I breathe a sigh of relief because I am back where I belong as I am surrounded by my memories. Also I am 84 years of age and could not do with the stress of moving.

I can manage on my income, that is not the point, the point is, why are we being told to sell our homes, get something smaller so we can afford to pay our energy and food bills.

We are not being told to sell our homes. We are simply being reminded that we can't expect the taxpayer to fund us to stay in them, any more than can younger people. If we can afford to stay put nobody is telling us to do anything.

I saw the debate too (Storm Huntley on C5) and Storm simply pointed out that if we have an asset in our homes, we have the option to sell and move to somewhere smaller. She did point out that older people often accuse younger ones of feeling entitled to things they can't afford, and the point was also made that it is difficult for older people to move away from social networks etc. The debate was fairly balanced.

I agree that pensions should be higher, but realistically that won't happen. I would also like to see the energy companies renationalised, but that probably won't happen either. At a time when young families struggle to find affordable homes and children are fed from foodbanks, however, I don't understand why someone with an asset worth hundreds of thousands of pounds should be subsidised to stay in it. What is the rationale for that?

kittylester

Exactly, merlot. Our house is far bigger than we actually need until family arrive when it suddenly shrinks alarmingly. Family arriving gives us a real boost and helps our mental health - presumably that will matter more and more as time goes by.

When we bought this old lovely monster- we were very careful to ensure it has good public transport for when we can no longer drive, and near to places where we can easily get help/cleaning, gardening, care, etc.

And that there is a separate unit in case we need someone live in. The back has its own kitchen and two independent entrances, and 2 toilets, one could easily be transformed into a shower. It stole our hearts, but we were very careful to ensure adaptations can easily be made. Space for large bedroom downstairs and a WC/shower. As logn as we are together we will stay and adapt, adjust. Couldn't stay here on my own, and neither would DH.

Same with me, smaller homes within the town walls without parking and garden are more expensive than my three bedroom, garage large garden modest home. My boys tell me stay as long as I can mange, but it is the heating that's worrying me.

Oreo

NotSpaghetti

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).

Are you joking?
Housing and supporting asylum seekers for the year 2023-2024 is 4.7 billion.

Asylum seekers are not illegal immigrants. To become an asylum seeker they have to apply within a short time after arriving here, and fill in a questionnaire stating their reasons for having to leave their former home, which will be read and investigated.
The illegal ones who sneaked in under the radar are living with relatives or fellow-countrymen, and keeping their heads down so that they are not sent back, so they get nothing.

Oreo I was referring to the illegal immigrants comments from buffyfly9 - not asylum seekers!

Maybe you misread?

mabon1

Same with me, smaller homes within the town walls without parking and garden are more expensive than my three bedroom, garage large garden modest home. My boys tell me stay as long as I can mange, but it is the heating that's worrying me.

This is another thing, why is it assumed we do not need parking?

Even if we do not run a car, we may haave carers coming in daily, we have frequent visits from family and friends who need safe secure parking very close by.

We are endeavouring to downsize (by choice) at the moment and have more or less counted out one town we really like simply because almost none of the houses on the margins of the town centre have parking and the nearest public parking is a quarter of a mile away across several busy roads.

Just not practical for potential carers, elderly visiters, or even family making quick checks.

A surprising number of people don't know that asylum seekers are here legally.

Sorry Elegran - didn't notice your post - I started to reply but walked away for a couple of minutes!

Even people who no longer drive may need somewhere to keep a mobility scooter secure and dry.

That's OK, NotSpaghetti

As Doodledog says We are not being told to sell our homes
This is one of a range of options.

There was apparently a panel on a TV talk-show where one person suggested to sell up and buy a smaller home.

This is only one person's suggested solution. It was ruled out even on the TV show, apparently.

The title of the thread "Telling OAP's to sell their home" is somewhat misleading I think.

Migrants coming over on boats cost £8 million pounds a day according to Home Office figures. Some will be genuine but most aren’t.I think that qualifies for your comment to be wrong
NotSpaghetti when you told a poster that they don’t cost millions.

NotSpaghetti

Oreo I was referring to the illegal immigrants comments from buffyfly9 - not asylum seekers!

Maybe you misread?

They cost 8 million a day!

How is the £8m a day worked out, please? If people are here illegally aren’t they under the radar, and therefore cost nothing? As soon as they claim anything they are no longer ‘illegal’ and are either seeking asylum legally or deported.