Buying a house with a disability

In January 2018 me and my boyfriend decided we were ready to buy our first property. After many discussions we decided a bungalow would be better for us due to my Muscular Dystrophy and the fact one day I probably won't be able to walk. So first thing was first, we started looking at bungalows that were up for sale and soon came to the conclusion that they were either out of our price range or we would have to get a very small one so we was back to square one.

After more discussions we decided lets just go for it and get a house rather than a bungalow, life's too short so we needed to live for the moment. We started looking at houses up for sale and realised we'd get a lot more for our money and if in the future I needed assistance we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

In August 2018 we found the perfect house for us. It was at the top end of our price range but we had done a mortgage in principle so knew HSBC would give us the mortgage we needed. The only worry we had was whether I could get life insurance or not as we thought we needed it to get the mortgage. After looking at all different comparison and specialist sites we found out no-one would give me the insurance I needed. At this point we decided to go and see a mortgage advisor to see what he suggested we do. It turned out I didn't need life insurance for the mortgage, the only compulsory insurance needed was home insurance.

This put our mind at ease knowing we could get a mortgage without the insurance but I was worried that it would mean if anything happened to me the pressure would be on my boyfriends shoulders. After speaking to him in great detail I told him he needed to make the decision and if he didn't want to buy the house I would understand. He decided that he still wanted to buy the house and that hopefully by then his wage would be higher.

The next day we put in an offer on the house which was accepted so we applied for the mortgage. After this everything went smoothly, our mortgage application was accepted the same day and in November we got the keys to the house.

The two things we did first was have the bathroom replaced so we have a shower rather than a bath and have a stairlift fitted. We have now been in the house nearly a month and love it. We are so glad we chose to go for a house rather than a bungalow. There might be a day in the future when I struggle and need more assistance but for now this is all i need.

My advice to first time buyers with a disability is don't think just because you're disabled you've got to have a bungalow. There are always ways around it and so much more technology that will help. Live for the moment and if you want a house go and get one! and remember Don't Worry Be Happy!

I've also attached some photos of the house so you can see what we did to the bathroom and how the stairlift looks. We will eventually be painting the purple wall cream so the chair will blend in more.

#dwbh #musculardystrophy #liveforthemoment #firsttimebuyer #disability #stairlift