"Kristen" wrote in message
...
.....
This relative is about 70 years old. I presume "ground rent" is the
Welsh term for Council Tax as it's dictionary meaning sounds about
right.
No. Ground rent means you don't own the land the building is standing on,
but rent it from the peson who does. You will pay ground rent on any propety
that is described as leasehold. Freehold property includes ownership of the
land.
For future reference, what do "maintenance charges" buy you? A
handyman around if something leaks or utility bills as well?
It can vary, but normally it only covers the cost of maintaining the common
services. In the case of a residential park, that would be things like the
roads. In a multiple occupancy building, it would probably cover the outer
fabric of the building.
....
No, I don't think a caravan is suitable for this relative.
Don't be mislead by the rather disparaging description of mobile homes as
caravans. This is what some of them look like.
http://wessexparkhomes.co.uk/page/1/...ial-park-homes
....
Budget aside, many rural areas will do what you want. You don't want
out-in-the-wilds rural, you want to be near a town of a few thousand so
it'll have a decent clinic. And there's a _lot_ of choice out there.
Choose
an area, look at the prices.
Unfortunately I'm not a native Brit so I wouldn't know where to look.
If you can, avoid South East England, which means anywhere south and east of
a line from the Wash to the Severn estuary. That area is now considered to
be the domitory area for London, which pushes up prices.
I reckon somewhere like Settle fits all your criteria bar price,
but you'll be looking for 200K or 150K for a place in town.
Thanks for your advice and staying awake at this really unsocial hour
in the UK at the moment!
Given the relative's age, have you considered assisted housing - houses or
flats with a resident warden, who looks after the residents?
There are also assisted purchase schemes, which allow people who qualify to
buy a property in part ownership with a Local Authority or a charity. They
can sometimes be combined with assisted housing.
Colin Bignell