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Buying a council house

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  • 15-11-2016 5:36pm
    #1
    EL2016
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭


    Hi. Hope I'm posting in the right place. Would like some advice please. My dad has been living in a council house all his life, he is turning 70 next year. He would like to buy the house from the council but due to the fact that he is unemployed and on the pension he cant. Has anyone any advise or is there any other options for him? Hope someone can offer some advise.
    Tia :)


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    #2
    handlemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    EL2016 wrote: »
    Hi. Hope I'm posting in the right place. Would like some advice please. My dad has been living in a council house all his life, he is turning 70 next year. He would like to buy the house from the council but due to the fact that he is unemployed and on the pension he cant. Has anyone any advise or is there any other options for him? Hope someone can offer some advise.
    Tia :)


    I think you just summer it up. He cant afford it.


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    #3
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 20,105 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    EL2016 wrote: »
    Hi. Hope I'm posting in the right place. Would like some advice please. My dad has been living in a council house all his life, he is turning 70 next year. He would like to buy the house from the council but due to the fact that he is unemployed and on the pension he cant. Has anyone any advise or is there any other options for him? Hope someone can offer some advise.
    Tia :)

    not sure what to say here? obviously he cant afford it so nothing he can do surely?


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    #4
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,965 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Why does he want to buy the house? He has a lifetime tenancy on an income-related rent, and owning it would only open him up for all sorts of expenses that the council currently pay for.


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    #5
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,535 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    Do you want to buy the house ?

    Why would someone in their 70s want to buy a house ?


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    #6
    athtrasna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,420 ✭✭✭✭athtrasna


    ted1 wrote: »
    Do you want to buy the house ?

    Why would someone in their 70s want to buy a house ?

    To pass it on to their own family rather than the top family on the list who has been waiting God knows how long. My personal belief is that council houses shouldn't be sold while there are so so many on the waiting lists.


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    #7
    bisset
    Registered Users Posts: 440 ✭✭bisset


    Suppose you give him the money to buy it and a year later he develops medical problems that mean it is no longer suitable for his needs. He will be in a difficult situation. If his housing needs change while he is a council tenant the council have a responsibility( in theory) to transfer him to something more suitable. As other posters have pointed out it is hard to see how buying at this stage in his life would be to his advantage.

    An important question is who else is living in the house?


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    #8
    riclad
    Registered Users Posts: 8,184 ✭✭✭riclad


    It Seems strange to live in a house for so long and not buy it,
    95 per cent of people bought their council house . The council offered them cheap in the 90,s .but your income needs to be at least x amount to buy .I Can see no advantage to him buying the house apart from it will than be possible to pass it on to his family.
    He will be on the minimum rent as a pensioner .


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