Mail Online

Pensioners may be happy to downsize, but where are all the bungalows?

ELDERLY downsizers may get a tax break to free up homes (Mail)? If only it were so simple! My husband and I would love to move into a bungalow, but they are as expensive as a detached house. All of our equity would be used up, leaving nothing to top up our pension. If we buy a cheaper one in poor condition, our savings would be eaten up paying for renovations. We have the added fear that the value of our home will disappear in eye-watering care home fees, as happened to my dear mother. The family was left with just enough to bury her.

JEAN MARCROFT, Wirral, Merseyside.

THE Government is toying with the idea of incentivising those living in large properties to downsize. Tinkering with stamp duty will only inflate the price of smaller houses. The situation is compounded by the failure to provide the type of homes elderly people want. We don’t want to move to a retirement flat with high service charges. My wife and I bought our home 36 years ago and recognise it is too big for us, but there is nowhere locally with the space we need that’s as close to public transport, shops and medical facilities. Moving would cost £30,000 in solicitor’s and agent’s fees and removal costs.

SIMON DREW, Bracknell, Berks.

PENSIONERS don’t just want tax breaks for downsizing,

they want somewhere suitable where they can move. Hundreds of houses have been built in my village, but no bungalows. Instead, existing bungalows are being converted into houses. There should be a proportion of bungalows in every new housing estate.

BARBARA THOMAS, Billingshurst, W. Sussex.

TWO-BEDROOM bungalows are being gobbled up by financially savvy families. They add more bedrooms and an en suite by extending into the loft, build a glass cube extension on the back and concrete the front garden for parking. There is a lot of profit to be made. Where are downsizing pensioners expected to live? In a one-bedroom flat with no garden, no pets, a couple of flower pots and the few mementos they can cram in.

KEITH WELLS, Heathfield, E. Sussex.

THE housing crisis could be resolved by building retirement villages near towns. Rather than dreaded nursing homes, we need a bowling green, tennis courts, bingo, dance hall and cycle routes to keep the young-atheart happy. Homes with large gardens and high maintenance bills occupied by empty-nesters would be snapped up by families.

PETER HASSALL, Shifnal, Shropshire.

WHERE are the downsize properties? A small, two-bedroom bungalow can cost almost as much as a four-bedroom family house. After moving costs, there would be no wiggle room to pay for future care costs. We enjoy our garden, so moving to a flat is not an option. Better to stay where we are until the Government persuades developers to build properties more suitable for the older generation.

A. DEMARCO, Hastings, E. Sussex.

TO FREE up family homes, we need bungalow villages with a medical centre, shops and communal meeting places. Designs need to future proof residents by having wet rooms and kitchens suitable for wheelchair users. The Government needs to free councils to invest in these schemes and rents will generate future income. This is a long-term project and needs cross-party support so a change of government doesn’t knock it off course. There is no point in relying on the private sector, which is only interested in building retirement villages with swimming pools and gyms for those with big pensions.

STEPHEN PERRY, Desborough, Northants.

FLATS for oldies are £300,000-plus with service charges of up to £800 a month. Most of us can’t afford to downsize.

C. FRANCES, Solihull, W. Mids.

Peterborough | Letters

en-gb

2022-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/282711935649492

dmg media (UK)