Council Tax Disregard - some advice please

[Javangreenmagpie]

Hi,
I'm applying for a council tax disregard for Mum, who lives at home with later stage dementia and bowel cancer, cared for by dad. I finally have everything I need (GP most unhelpful). Just completeing the Counci's online form and I had this message

In the Property and Occupation Checks section you indicated that there are 2 residents at the property.
You need to provide details for the same number of disregards but currently you have provided details for 1.

I'm flummoxed. Dad lives there with Mum. He's a very sprightly 87 year old with no sign of mental decline. Should I not have included him? Why can't anything be straightforward!!!!
If anyone has an easy solution that my brain cannot see, I'd greatly appreciate it, or I've done something super daft, feel free to point it out.

Thank you

 

[sue31]

Hi,
I'm applying for a council tax disregard for Mum, who lives at home with later stage dementia and bowel cancer, cared for by dad. I finally have everything I need (GP most unhelpful). Just completeing the Counci's online form and I had this message

In the Property and Occupation Checks section you indicated that there are 2 residents at the property.
You need to provide details for the same number of disregards but currently you have provided details for 1.

I'm flummoxed. Dad lives there with Mum. He's a very sprightly 87 year old with no sign of mental decline. Should I not have included him? Why can't anything be straightforward!!!!
If anyone has an easy solution that my brain cannot see, I'd greatly appreciate it, or I've done something super daft, feel free to point it out.

Thank you

The exemption from council tax is only if the sufferer lives alone.
Mum was on her own & got the 25% discount after dad died.
I’m not sure but it maybe possible they get some discount but it won’t be a total discount as nothing wrong with you dad - I’m sure another member will know for sure.
I didn’t know about the disregard if they had a mental disability until a few months before she died. Applying for that was hard work.
Seems our council don’t employ anyone with a. brain cell!

 

[sdmhred]

Hello …..yes it’s complex ……when I lived with mum she got a discount but as I still lived there we still had a bill to pay….so include him and they will then recalculate. I remember taking some time to get my head around but the final bill did make sense!

 

[sue31]

The exemption from council tax is only if the sufferer lives alone.
Mum was on her own & got the 25% discount after dad died.
I’m not sure but it maybe possible they get some discount but it won’t be a total discount as nothing wrong with you dad - I’m sure another member will know for sure.
I didn’t know about the disregard if they had a mental disability until a few months before she died. Applying for that was hard work.
Seems our council don’t employ anyone with a. brain cell!

Hi,
I'm applying for a council tax disregard for Mum, who lives at home with later stage dementia and bowel cancer, cared for by dad. I finally have everything I need (GP most unhelpful). Just completeing the Counci's online form and I had this message

In the Property and Occupation Checks section you indicated that there are 2 residents at the property.
You need to provide details for the same number of disregards but currently you have provided details for 1.

I'm flummoxed. Dad lives there with Mum. He's a very sprightly 87 year old with no sign of mental decline. Should I not have included him? Why can't anything be straightforward!!!!
If anyone has an easy solution that my brain cannot see, I'd greatly appreciate it, or I've done something super daft, feel free to point it out.

Thank you

n England, Scotland and Wales someone who has been medically certified as having a permanent severe mental impairment such as dementia, and who is entitled to a disability benefit e.g. Attendance allowance, personal independence payment or disability living allowance, could be entitled to a Council Tax reduction or exemption. This could result in a reduction of 25% where two people are living in a property and one person diagnosed with dementia meets the disregard criteria, or an exemption if the person with dementia is living alone.

 

[Blissy]

Hi,
I'm applying for a council tax disregard for Mum, who lives at home with later stage dementia and bowel cancer, cared for by dad. I finally have everything I need (GP most unhelpful). Just completeing the Counci's online form and I had this message

In the Property and Occupation Checks section you indicated that there are 2 residents at the property.
You need to provide details for the same number of disregards but currently you have provided details for 1.

I'm flummoxed. Dad lives there with Mum. He's a very sprightly 87 year old with no sign of mental decline. Should I not have included him? Why can't anything be straightforward!!!!
If anyone has an easy solution that my brain cannot see, I'd greatly appreciate it, or I've done something super daft, feel free to point it out.

Thank you

There are two of us living in our property so I applied for discount for my husband and this gives you 25%reduction. I usually keep a copy of any applications I make but can't find this particular one but it does seem a strange message to get back when they do ask you include both residents. Think you will need to give council a ring..probably the easiest way to deal with it. I must say that I found the process quite easy but then councils do differ.

 

[Javangreenmagpie]

Thank you. Yes, I thought I was right in thinking that Dad would get 25% reduction and that I hadn't imagined it. Their council has been so good in some aspects, but the form itself was hidden in an obscure part of their website, so really not making things easy. So far, I haven't been able to find a phone number and their chat bot has gone home for the day! I'll email the department and hope that does something. It's a shame that it isn't a standardized process with all councils following the same procedure, certainly would make life a tad easier. As if caring for someone with Dementia wasn't hard enough.

 

[SarahJaneUK]

We got the 25% discount for Dad (as he's got Alz Dem), Mom lives there too, so it was ok that there's 2 people in the house (but only one with Alz Dem). The longest part was getting the Doctor's signature (I was able to leave it at reception and they go the Dr to sign it) but when we submitted to the Council they turned it around pretty quickly and the good thing was that they back dated it to Dad's diagnosis. So they issued a credit to his bank account for 25% between Oct 2023 and Jan 2024. Then they applied the 25% discount to their new 2024/25 bill, so he pays less each month through this year. Hope this helps.

 

[Javangreenmagpie]

Thanks again everyone. Turns out is was user error - I ticked the wrong box! In my defense, it was a bit obscure and I've had a bit of a week. We're now waiting to hear what (if any) reduction Dad gets.

 

[Kevinl]

Anyone diagnosed with a Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) is a mandatory disregard for council tax purposes (UK England) at any rate.
I got the disregard back dated to the day the hospital consultant wrote to the GP using the magic phrase SMI.
I was then treated as a single adult household for years although my wife lived here too with an SMI.
I understand a 25% discount applied so I still had to pay 75% of the council tax, same as any live alone person.
As other people have said there are certain trigger benefits but for an SMI benefit it's the diagnosis that counts. K

 

[nitram]

Thanks again everyone. Turns out is was user error - I ticked the wrong box! In my defense, it was a bit obscure and I've had a bit of a week. We're now waiting to hear what (if any) reduction Dad gets.

Mum is disregarded leaving dad as sole occupant entitled to 25% discount backdated to when eligibility for qualifying benefit and GP's certificate coexisted, the form may have allowed the GP to say condition had existed from a date earlier than form completion.

 

[Rayreadynow]

Severe Mental Impairment - Each council has a different definition.

 

[nitram]

Severe Mental Impairment - Each council has a different definition.

The council does not define, certification relies on GP signing

1. In my opinion ……………………………………… is suffering from a severe mental impairment for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. - Yes/No 2. I consider his/her condition to be permanent. – Yes/No 3. He/she has been severely mentally impaired since ……………………………………….. (please give the exact date DD.MM.YYYY).

~~~~~~~~~~

For the purposes of this paragraph a person is severely mentally impaired if he has a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning (however caused) which appears to be permanent.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/14/schedule/1/crossheading/the-severely-mentally-impaired .

 

[Kevinl]

Nice one nitram. K

 

[TessB]

Hi,
I'm applying for a council tax disregard for Mum, who lives at home with later stage dementia and bowel cancer, cared for by dad. I finally have everything I need (GP most unhelpful). Just completeing the Counci's online form and I had this message

In the Property and Occupation Checks section you indicated that there are 2 residents at the property.
You need to provide details for the same number of disregards but currently you have provided details for 1.

I'm flummoxed. Dad lives there with Mum. He's a very sprightly 87 year old with no sign of mental decline. Should I not have included him? Why can't anything be straightforward!!!!
If anyone has an easy solution that my brain cannot see, I'd greatly appreciate it, or I've done something super daft, feel free to point it out.

Thank you

Hi there. You mentioned that your mum is cared for by your dad. I believe that your dad should also get a disregard as he is a carer. My mum gets a disregard because of her dementia and, when I told the council I was her carer, they said I should get a disregard too.

 

[TessB]

Hi there. You mentioned that your mum is cared for by your dad. I believe that your dad should also get a disregard as he is a carer. My mum gets a disregard because of her dementia and, when I told the council I was her carer, they said I should get a disregard too.

Sorry, Javangreenmagpie, I think I've got it wrong. Apparently it doesn't count if the carer is the spouse/partner of the cared-for person. Seems totally unfair but them's the rules https://www.carerssupportcentre.org...ey-and-benefits/welfare-benefits/council-tax/

 

[Kevinl]

As said, I got the mandatory disregard as my wife had a smi, so I was classed as a single person household even though the 2 of us lived here, there is no carer disregard as a partner, in UK England that I am aware of.
It isn't a council issue, it's the national law, as I say UK England at any rate. K

 

[Rayreadynow]

The council does not define, certification relies on GP signing

1. In my opinion ……………………………………… is suffering from a severe mental impairment for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. - Yes/No 2. I consider his/her condition to be permanent. – Yes/No 3. He/she has been severely mentally impaired since ……………………………………….. (please give the exact date DD.MM.YYYY).

~~~~~~~~~~

For the purposes of this paragraph a person is severely mentally impaired if he has a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning (however caused) which appears to be permanent.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/14/schedule/1/crossheading/the-severely-mentally-impaired .

Definition lies within the Local Government Finance Act, basically the council. Thanks for the link.