Can my mother, who is 88 and has lived in the house for 60 years, be
made to move out for some three months whilst work is done on the
house? If yes, who is responsible for payment of packing & storage of
her property? She has a protected tenancy,& Ibelieve grants from the
local authority are based on my mother's being on income support.

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Request for Question Clarification by leli-ga on 05 Jul 2002 02:54 PDT

This sounds a bit complicated.  To try to help, we will need to know
where your mother is as law is different in different parts of the UK
- Scotland, in particular, has a completely independent system.

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Request for Question Clarification by iaint-ga on 05 Jul 2002 07:25 PDT

In addition to my colleague's question about which legal jurisdiction
you fall under, it would also be helpful to know if she is a private
tenant or in local authority housing.

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Clarification of Question by led-ga on 05 Jul 2002 11:53 PDT

Iapologise for the delay. Idid reply to both requests to the e-mail
addresses as Ihad problems finding "question clarification.

(a)My mother lives in England.(b)The house is owned privately.
I was originally sent an application form for a grant from the local
authority. Iwas sent the form by my mother's landlady. My mother was
required to sign it as any grant was dependant on the applicant's
being in receipt of a specified benefit(Social Security).My mother & I
were happy to do this as the house is unbelievably cold. Now,
however,it seems there is 3-4 months work to be done, much of it with
help from grants.If mum has to move I would prefer it be permanent.
She suffers from agoraphobia & is quite traumatised by the thought of
moving. I have Parkinson's Disease & cannot help as much as I  would
like. Ifeel the house has long been neglected to need so much
attention.

Thank you,
Regards,
led-ga.

Led

I understand your concern about your mother's situation and realise
how worrying it must be.  Because this is quite an individual
situation with various complexities I think it might be advisable for
you to contact people with hands-on experience of such cases.  These
voluntary organisations may well be able to help:

SHELTER
is a housing organisation with many years experience of housing and
tenancy difficulties.
Their free helpline is at:
0808 800 4444
The page on their site that helps you find your nearest branch is at:
http://www.shelternet.org.uk/shelternet/furtheradvice-form.cfm

AGE CONCERN
supports elderly people and their families.
A 7-day free helpline from 7 till 7 is on:
0800 009966
or you can write to:
Age Concern Freepost (SWB 30375), Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7ZZ
Their website is:
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/
There may be a local branch in your phone book.

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU (CAB)
helps with legal/financial/housing issues etc.
Find your nearest branch in the phone book or go to:
http://www.nacab.org.uk/cabdir.ihtml

Have you cosidered contacting your mother's local Social Work Dept.? 
I think they would have a duty to help a lady of 88 in her position.

I hope this can be resolved without too much distress to your mother. 
And do look after your own health.

Good luck and best wishes.