Housing

[Lucacielle]

Looking at converting our double garage into a seperate self contained living accomodation for my son with autism.

If the accomodation is solely for my son and for carers coming in, how will it be financed. Will the authorities pay his rent and other expenses?.

[Hidden]

This is not something I’ve done myself, but I know it’s a complicated area and any financial support offered for any adaptations (or conversions) themselves will depend on a number of different factors, including the age of your son, whether or not you own your own home, and potentially what financial circumstances you and any partner have. Generally speaking, councils will only fund (or part fund) adaptations if they agree that the adaptation is required, so there is an assessment process involved whereby they decide what they feel is necessary. That may not initially be what you want doing, either, so it can take time and effort to achieve the outcome you feel is appropriate. For example, you might want to convert the garage to a self contained annexe, they might come out and initially say they’ll only support turning your existing living room into a wet room and bedroom. If the person with the disability is over 19, then any grant (such as a disabled facilities grant) will be means tested to you as the ones looking to make the alterations, so your income and any savings over £6k will be taken into account. There can also be clauses about having to remain in a property for 5 years after renovations, particularly if you rent and a landlord has agreed to adaptations to a rented property, but it can also apply to a property you own. If that is the case, then the penalty is usually being required to repay the grant when you move. It’s VERY important to be aware that if you want financial support for the works themselves but start the adaptation process prior to contacting your council, they won’t help you at all, so don’t do anything before making contact with them!! They HAVE to assess the need for and agree to the work in advance to get any funding.

With regards to rent, my understanding is that you cannot get rent/housing benefit from the LA or via universal credit if you reside in the same home as a close relative. An adult child living with parents would be considered as doing that regardless of any disability. The only exception is if you rent from a close relative that lives in a completely separate building and there is a formal tenancy agreement in place, but the council have to be satisfied it’s a genuine arrangement, to the extent that you categorically would evict your child if they couldn’t continue to pay rent. I’m guessing your son, assuming he’s over 16 and unable to work, will be entitled to some benefits income of some description, from which it would likely be reasonable for him to cover some of his own expenses, but depending on the degree of mental capacity he has, that could also be a pretty complicated situation, and would necessitate further legal advice. As I understand it, to take money from him for bills (which is what I’m assuming you mean) would require him to either be able to clearly understand, then consent to and organise the transfer of funds himself, or for someone to be formally appointed to act as his guardian. This can be a parent, but it is a legal process that has to be followed to protect everyone involved.

If your son is under 25, then Contact (the disabled children’s charity) may be a good first stop in asking for advice and signposting on all of the issues highlighted. I’ve had dealings with them recently in relation to complex financial issues and my teen with autism and found them very helpful.

contact.org.uk/help-for-fam...

You could also try mencap. I’m not the National Autistic Society’s biggest fan, but I’d imagine they can also help. If your son is older than 25, then I’d probably suggest contacting Carers’ UK as the best, first port of call.

[Lucacielle in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for taking your time to reply. I will have to look into this further.

It sounds as if I need some legal advice...before we make anymore moves..

Many thanks

[Hidden in reply to Lucacielle]

Glad my reply has been of help. Whenever the council are involved, these things always seemed to be designed to make life more complicated, but it is generally a fairly complex area to navigate unless money is no object for you. Hope you get it sorted.