house purchase

[glyndwr]

My son-in-law has chronic kidney failure and is in receipt of Incapacity Benefit. My daughter works part time at 2 jobs, have 1 toddler. Son-in-law can't work, waiting for dialysis and transplant. No income coming in apart from daughter's part-time jobs - mortgage payments suspended for 6 months. DSS state no help with mortgage until he has been in receipt of benefit for 10 months. As I don't want them to lose their home, can I buy it off them on a buy-to-let basis and treat them as private tenants or can I pay their monthly mortgage payments until the 10 month period, without affecting their benefits?

[louadams6]

will the dss not pay part of it? Im not entirely sure of the rules anymore though i know when i stopped working to take maternity leave the dss part paid my rent as i was still having some sort of income. My best advice would be to contact the citizens advice bureau, i have always found them very informative and helpful

[vicars]

1. You could buy their property and rent it to them so long as they take out an assured shorthold tenancy, but then they would have to find benefits to pay the rent so this will not simplify things.

2. As the mortgage interest is only paid after 10 months of them receiving benefits, I believe you paying the mortgage will have no effect on them receiving state help as receipt of benefits is not restricted only to people who have not paid their mortgage, so this would seem the best route to take. You should however run this past the DSS before you pay in case they need you to sign anything, but I don't think this would be necessary.

[thikasabrik]

On the subject of your son in law's benefits - if he is having haemodialysis he should be entitled to claim the middle rate disability living allowance which is currently �226 per month. I don't know what your daughter's income is or how many hours she works, but she (or perhaps a non working relative) may be able to claim Invalid Care Allowance. It's worth looking into.