buying a house

[cazzz1975]

I am a full time carer with my partner, we have 3 children 2 of which are registered disabled, we are currently living in a council house, we are a priority for a move to suitable accomodation however we were given an estimate of 52 years to wait.

we have lived in our property for 7 years and its estimated worth is 110,000. someone mentioned that we should buy it on right to buy (with council discount)
however I was unaware that a carer could get a mortgage, on the otherhand there are thousands of carers in the country some who must have a mortgage.

would it be feasable in our situation to be able to get a mortgage? has anyone here ever heard of a carer getting a mortgage??

the mortgage would give us a knee up to get a suitable property thus securing the kids future (which I am worried about at the moment)

[bednobs]

what you actually do for a living wont really have any bearing on whether you can get a mortgage: any lender will look at your ability to pay back a sum that they have lent you. i make the assumption that from what you say in your post you are both not working because you are looking after the children together?
If this is the case it makes it much harder to get a mortgage, especially if you have no income or savings. If you own your own property, i dont think you would get any housing benefit, so again, making the assumption that you get this already, that will immediatey be less income for you. Havingsaid all that, mortgage lenders seem to want to lend to anyone these days (not meaning you are just anyone, of course you are not, but meaning no matter what their circumstances) so there is no harm or loss in approaching a mortgage brokr to talk through the posibilities. You need to check you do have the right to buy first as some council properties are exempt, for example those built to house disabled people

[bednobs]

also dont forget that depeding on where you live the very maximum discount will be 38 000 pounds (and likely to be less) http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=115 1274
meaning you wuld still have to borrow over 70 000 pounds

[cazzz1975]

Thanks for the reply bedknobs, we would still get a discount on council tax benefit, we also get payed disabled living allowance, we have no outstanding debts and �2500 savings.

[cazzz1975]

the lottery then bedknobs!, oh well never mind, thank you for the reply

[bednobs]

dont just take my word for it though, what do i know? Why not see a mortgage advisor who will help? You dont have to pay for them unless you actually take out the mortgage

[annie0000]

Are there any affordable housing projects in your area? Most housebuilders now have to build some affordable housing as part of the planning permission to build new estates - sometimes this goes to housing associations to rent - particularly to disadvantaged sectors e.g. the disabled, or sometimes they do them on a shared purchase scheme where you buy a percentage e.g. 25% then rent the rest and you can buy more in the future if you can afford it - this means that if you sell, you would get 25% of the profit, or whatever share you own at the time of the sale. My sister did this and now owns the house outright.

What you need to think about though is that the benefit of renting is that you can call on your landlord (the council in this case) to carry out repairs etc. They would also probably carry out any required adaptation to your house. If you purchase the property, you will need to fund repairs yourself and you will need to factor this in when looking at affordability.

Most lenders can now base their lending criteria on ability to pay rather than on income, but I am assuming that you are claiming benefits and (subject to goverment legislation) these are likely to be permanent or in any case long term, you may find that a lender is prepared to count that as earned income - it is certainly likely to be more reliable an income than a lot of people have, even if it is not a fortune. Just be wary that they don't try to give you a vastly inflated interest rate.

Hope you find something that suits. x

[cazzz1975]

thanks for the reply annie, I will look into some housing schemes (there are some near me ) I wish houses were not so expensive!!

[sleepy1]

hi cazzz its very bad the council wont move you . in my area they give flats and houses to any one .

[cazzz1975]

I wouldnt mind sleepy but where I live (birmingham) we have the largest amount of council properties in england!

[sleepy1]

cant you get doctors letters and other help to back you up . did you say once you lived in a flat ? im in hertfordshire people get council places easy .

[cazzz1975]

I was awarded medical priority a few years back by the council which means I get to band A (top of the list) I was still quoted an average wait of 52 years (lol, I guess they think my pensioner kids will still be living at home by then)

reality is though they have rarely any properties available, in my area there are thousands of asylum seekers now living in council property, also most people have bought their properties now. In 2 years I have had not one offer even (and thats coming from a person who is almost the top if the council waiting list which holds around 15000 people.

Im not the person with the flat, I know the person you mean though.
My medical priority was awarded following investigation by the councils medical team into my situation and information supplied by my kids consultants and therapists, teaching staff ect (everyone who can vouch for their medical difficulties)

[bednobs]

had you thought about moving t another area? i dont know how that would work though, could it even be done?. Is there anything you can do to make the house you are in now more suitable? what makes it unsuitable?

[sleepy1]

yes try and get a house exchange .