John I dont know where you want to be geographicaly in the UK but a thought occured that if you could get for example your son/friend to look for a property rental that can be offered you but which only becomes available around the time of the result of your application (but with an aggreement)that way you wouldnt be paying rent whilst not using the propety .
It may be you could retire to France based on your previous residency depends on the rent implication I guess![]()