Complex Almshouse matter requires specialist support from HCR Law

The HCR Charity team were initially approached by our client, an Almshouse charity, to assist with an application to the Regulator of Social Housing to de-register them as a registered provider of social housing.

We assisted the trustees with the preparation of the application form and advised on the steps that need to be completed before the application was submitted. The matter was complicated by the fact that the charity had received a grant over 40 years ago. For the regulator to agree to de-register the client, it needed confirmation from the grantor with regard to the treatment of the grant monies. Practically, this meant whether the monies would have to be repaid or if an arrangement needed to be put in place to secure payment if that the obligation to re-pay was triggered in the future.

As the trustees were hoping to merge with another charity, the resolution of the situation regarding the grant monies was not straightforward and we continue to advise our client on this matter.

We have also separately advised the charity as to whether a property that it proposed to sell constitutes permanent endowment.