Care homes require a month's notice to terminate

Noorza

Registered User
Jun 8, 2012
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I am just watching Rip Off Britain, there are Care Homes who expect to be paid for four weeks after a person's death as they have terminated their contract.

How on earth are you supposed to be able to give a month's notice? This is one to watch out for if you are considering a care home amongst everything else.
 

J W

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Apr 19, 2013
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Did it name any organizations ie the ones who have hundreds of homes, rather than the smaller fish?
 

Noorza

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Jun 8, 2012
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Did it name any organizations ie the ones who have hundreds of homes, rather than the smaller fish?

I missed the start of it, so I don't know but it seemed really unfair as most of these homes have waiting lists so they are getting paid out twice once, by the deceased's estate and again by the new resident.
 

lin1

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Jan 14, 2010
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East Kent
I have read of this on here in the past.

I certainly dont agree with having to pay a months fees after a person has died.
To me its a horrid kick up the bum, so unkind and morally wrong to inflict this on people/families when they are grieving the loss of someone dear to them.

I could perhaps understand having to pay up till you collected the persons belongings, but even that sticks in my craw
 
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Noorza

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Jun 8, 2012
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I agree Lin, particularly as when the person dies, their funding and benefits stops at that point, not a month later.
 

Noorza

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Jun 8, 2012
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This seems outrageous. But I suppose to them it's a business, nothing else. Shame on them. A bit of compassion would not go amiss.

If I was the family I'd be as awkward as heck if this happened to me. I wouldn't finally empty the room until I'd stopped paying for it. No way I'd clear it out, pay for it, then let them relet it to someone else unless they stopped charging me the day the new resident takes over.

If they want paying they can't have it both ways.
 

CollegeGirl

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Jan 19, 2011
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North East England
If I was the family I'd be as awkward as heck if this happened to me. I wouldn't finally empty the room until I'd stopped paying for it. No way I'd clear it out, pay for it, then let them relet it to someone else unless they stopped charging me the day the new resident takes over.

If they want paying they can't have it both ways.

I agree, totally.
 

oneloopylady

Registered User
Oct 16, 2011
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That is sad, and just morraly wrong.

My FIL was in a home and then went into hospital for months where he eventualy died, and even though the CH still had his things, they asked permission from us after a week or two to move his things to their store room and then we wouldnt have to pay the fees whilst he was in hospital. When he died, they didn't charge us anymore.

I appreciate that as long as the deceased persons things are in the room, it has to be paid for, but not once it is properly vacated.

The same thing happened with our Home Care package for my dad. We cancelled 3 days before he went in to the CH and they just took payment up until the day he went into care, without any proper notice period.

Maybe I was just very lucky both times!

I wonder how many of these CH companies would actually 'sue' the deceased persons family if they simply refused to pay once the room was cleared?? They may not want the bad press that would bring....
 

turbo

Registered User
Aug 1, 2007
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That is sad, and just morraly wrong.

My FIL was in a home and then went into hospital for months where he eventualy died, and even though the CH still had his things, they asked permission from us after a week or two to move his things to their store room and then we wouldnt have to pay the fees whilst he was in hospital. When he died, they didn't charge us anymore.

I appreciate that as long as the deceased persons things are in the room, it has to be paid for, but not once it is properly vacated.

The same thing happened with our Home Care package for my dad. We cancelled 3 days before he went in to the CH and they just took payment up until the day he went into care, without any proper notice period.

Maybe I was just very lucky both times!

I wonder how many of these CH companies would actually 'sue' the deceased persons family if they simply refused to pay once the room was cleared?? They may not want the bad press that would bring....

I think this 4 weeks payment of fees after a resident has died is fairly common. It certainly is in my mum's care home. They get round the future non payment of this by charging a month in advance.

turbo
 

nmintueo

Registered User
Jun 28, 2011
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UK
As others have observed, a four-week notice period that isn't waived in the event of death isn't uncommon.

The reasonableness is debatable, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'immoral'; remember, you have a choice.

I certainly think the care home should make sure you are aware of such conditions at the outset. Our care home manager, to her credit, was very careful to make sure we knew about it.

In a case that made the news last year, someone did manage to get the period reduced from 28 days to 7:

Grieving daughter wins care home battle
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?41784