Enough to put older people off moving house

sir – While I agree with the sentiments of the Conservative MP Damian Green (Comment, August 10), the reality of selling a retirement home acts as a real disincentive against moving into one.

After 11 months on the market, my mother-in-law’s one-bedroom flat is selling for £55,000 less than the price for which it was bought. Among the restrictive covenants is one that requires us to redecorate the inside before the new owner takes possession. The service charge (over £1,000 a year) and ground rent (£650 a year) are still paid – and in some cases a proportion of the final selling price is charged by the landlord.

Claire Darby

Folkestone, Kent

sir – We have always been deterred from moving into a retirement home by the fact that, when we died, our children would be saddled with the heavy ongoing management fees while it remained unsold, with the management company firmly in control of the sale process.

Rather than pushing for yet more homes in this rigged market, Mr Green would do better to campaign for legislation banning management fees for properties left empty by death and granting inheritors control over the sale.

David Cockerham

Bearsted, Kent

sir – It has long been recognised that there is a shortage of smaller properties suitable for older people.

What needs addressing is that the whole business operates in a swamp where housing developers, lawyers, estate agents, removal firms and house clearance specialists seek to maximise their take of any money accrued.

I believe that many older people would welcome a scheme that acts on their behalf to insulate them from this.

David Donati

Crickhowell, Breconshire

sir – Three things need to be kept in mind: the location and size of accommodation, and its ongoing costs.

How many developments are in a town within walking distance of essential facilities? Nobody who has been used to reasonable-sized rooms wants to move to a glorified rabbit hutch, and not everyone has the kind of annual income to afford a rising service charge.

Elizabeth Prior

London SW10