John Toule Wills

Working with you to secure your future

UK government steals 3000 homes – legally
More and more people must sell their homes to pay their care home costs. Those who have paid tax and have assets over £23,500 must pay the full cost. Those who have less assets get their whole bill paid by the government. The message is simple; do nothing and the government will pay; work hard to improve your assets and the government will take them away.
New figures, compiled by the House of Commons library for Liberal Democrat health spokesman Mr Lamb, based on surveys by healthcare analysts Laing & Buisson, show that the problem is worse than ever.
There were 380,000 people in care homes as of April 2009, of which 48,000 had been enforced to sell their homes to pay their costs. This is 23 per cent higher than the 39,000 sellers in April 2005. Last year the figure was 45,000.
It is thought that around a third of all those who pay to go into a care home will end up losing their home.
Labour has been promising to tackle the subject for the past 12 years. At his party’s conference in 1997, Tony Blair said: ‘I don’t want a country where the only way pensioners can get long-term care is by selling their home.’ Same false truths.
The rise of 3,000 over the last year represents at least eight people a day or 57 a week. However the number who sold up in 2009 is bound to be even higher than 3,000 because some of the 45,000 from the previous year will have died.
Of the other residents of care homes in 2009, 107,000 had to contribute towards care costs but did not have to sell their home, and 223,000 got their care completely free.
The figures show that the number forced to contribute towards the cost of care has been rising in recent years: up 21 per cent from 128,000 in 2005 to 155,000 this year.
Next year, the annual average cost of residential care will be £26,000. Both major parties have proposed reforms to help fund residential care.
Professional will writing companies can show you how to protect your home. Seeking advice early is important as when it becomes too late, nothing can be done to solve the problem.