I put my home into a trust, now if one of us goes into care, then it’s safeguarded

As someone who has worked all their life on behalf of the community and paid their taxes, it is no wonder retiree William Cargill wanted to protect his property.

The former station officer, who worked for the then-tayside Fire & Rescue Service, and his wife have recently organised a Protected Property Trust. The couple, from Arbroath in the north east, arranged this important legal document through ILAWS Scotland, because they had heard about what could happen if they did not have a trust in place. Mr Cargill, 85, said: “A Protected Property Trust means that our property passes to our family to save it being taken to pay for care if one of us goes into a care home.

“I have thought about doing this for a while, and now, as we are getting on a bit, it was the right time to do it. My brother did it as his wife went into a care home – they got told if they didn’t have a Protected Property Trust then half of their home would need to be sold, but no one buys half a house. So they put the entire house into a trust for their families. And we have done the same.

Now the Cargills have a Protected Property Trust (or PPT) in place, their home is secured and cannot be sold to pay for care home fees – which could amount to more than £1,300-a-week. ILAWS has made this possible for the Arbroath couple and they could not be happier with the service they have received.

Mr Cargill contacted ILAWS after seeing an article about the services they provide in the newspaper and, as well as a PPT, he and his wife also updated their Wills.

Mr Cargill added: “I feel good that this has been done and I would recommend ILAWS to anyone who is thinking about arranging a PPT. ILAWS was very efficient and nice to deal with. The chap came to my home and explained everything to us. We also were told it needs to be registered in Edinburgh and that it could take a few weeks, but it is all sorted now. And after you have got it set up, you don’t have to pay anything else. My advice would be really give it a lot of consideration.

“You have paid your dues and your taxes all your life, so why should the council take your home (or half your home) from you?

“We definitely feel more relaxed about the future now.”