Council Tax

[Mummysgirl]

I thought I had previously read something on TP regarding Council Tax Reductions. Mom has alzheimers and receives attendance allowance. Dad sent in the form to get a reduction but has been told they are not eligible.
Can anyone advise please.
Thanks

 

[scarletpauline]

They should get 25% reduction in their Council Tax if your mum has been diagnosed with Alzheimers, can't understand why they were told they weren't eligible. There is a simple little form that friends on here told me about, which I got from the Council, they sent it to our doctor for signature and we got a rebate for the year. I think you should try again. Pauline x

 

[Mummysgirl]

Thanks Pauline, I will let dad know. He's a bit pre-occupied at the moment as mom's in hospital with a water infection

 

[christine_batch]

Dear Mummysgirl,

You are entitled to Council Tax reduction.

The form from the Council and then doctor will sign it.

Best wishes
Christine

 

[Pescita]

I'm just wondering if your Dad filled in the right form. What he needs to complete is a form to claim exemption for your Mum on the grounds of "severe mental impairment". Might he have filled in an application form for Council Tax Benefit by mistake? This is an entirely different thing, & is for people who are on a low income. If he just asked for a form to claim a reduction in Council Tax, someone may have misunderstood & thought he wanted to claim benefit, which many pensioners are entitled to.

As Pauline says, the correct form is quite short & simple. Part of it has to be completed & signed by the person's GP. A Council Tax Benefit form would be quite lengthy, with lots of questions about income, savings etc.

Basically, if an exemption is granted for someone on the grounds of "severe mental impairment", it means they are disregarded as an occupant of the property for Council Tax purposes. So if there is another person in the house (in this case, your Dad) they are treated as the sole occupant & receive the 25% "single person discount" which is awarded to anyone who is a sole adult occupant. If a person who has been awarded an exemption lives alone, they do not have to pay any Council Tax at all, as there is no-one living in the property who can be treated as liable to pay it.

Hope that helps!

 

[BeverleyY]

Dad lives with us... house is ours and he has no financial interest in it... we are his sole carers - would we be entitled to Council Tax reduction?

Thanks.

Beverley

 

[shelagh]

Yes I am sure you would. We got it years ago when we we were cring for a friend who came to live woth us and had no interest in our house.

 

[BeverleyY]

Yes I am sure you would. We got it years ago when we we were cring for a friend who came to live woth us and had no interest in our house.

Thanks Shelagh - I'll give it a try! Our Council Tax is horrendous are just shy of £2,000 a year!

 

[jenniferpa]

Actually - I'm not sure you would as you simply would end up disregarding your father, but there is still you and your husband. If it was just you and children under 18 and your father, yes, but I don't think you'll qualify Beverley.

P.S. I suspect that the reason Shelagh got it was because one of them was registered as a carer. Obviously worthwhile looking into, but don't get your hopes up too much.

 

[Sandy]

Dad lives with us... house is ours and he has no financial interest in it... we are his sole carers - would we be entitled to Council Tax reduction?

Thanks.

Beverley

My understanding is that the council would disregard your father for council tax purposes. If that only left one taxable adult in the house, then a single-person discount of 25% would apply. With both you and your husband occupying the property, in addition to your father, I don't think any discount would follow:

http://www.ashford.gov.uk/community_and_living/council_tax/reducing_your_bill/other_discounts.aspx

 

[BeverleyY]

Disabled Persons Relief
If you or someone who lives with you has a disability, and your home has been adapted to meet the needs of the disabled person, you may qualify for a reduction in Council Tax.


The reduction will be equivalent to a rebanding of the dwelling into the band immediately below that shown in the Valuation List. From 1st April 2000 qualifying dwellings in Band A are eligible for a reduction. The reduction for Band A properties will be the equivalent of 1/9th of Band D.

You may receive a reduction if one of the following is a feature of the dwelling, and is required as essential or of major importance to the well being of the disabled person:

■a room, other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet which is used predominantly by the disabled person;
■an additional bathroom or kitchen (not toilet) required to meet the needs of the disabled person;
■your home has been adapted to allow sufficient floorspace inside the property to allow the use of a wheelchair.

That is the quote from the council's website... it seems that only Band A properties get a discount anyway.

However, the previous page implies that if the person gets attendance allowance, and a letter from their Doctor stating that they are mentally impaired, a discount will be applied (if a 2nd bathroom has been added etc.).

Not probably even worth asking, but I'll call them next week and investigate.

Thanks everyone.

Beverley

 

[nocturne]

Are the rules the same throughout the country or do they vary between local authorities? Mum lived alone but our LA only allowed her a discount whilst my friend's father, who also lived alone, but in the neighbouring authority, got a full exemption. The only difference between them is that he has Alzheimer's and Mum has vascular dementia.
Jan

 

[jenniferpa]

No - the forms are different for each LA, but if the doctor is prepared to sign the form (my mother's resisted for the longest time ) a person with a serious mental impairment becomes invisible from the POV of council tax.

It's important, though, to apply for the right thing: there is a discount based on disability (which drops you from one grade to another so if you are B you become A).

 

[jenniferpa]

I've just seen Beverley's response - yes, it's important to recognize there are 2 possible options: the disability discount, which varies the bands, or the serious mental impairment disregard which means you are not counted (that's the one where the AA comes in). Theoretically you could get one but not the other.

 

[Sandy]

That is the quote from the council's website... it seems that only Band A properties get a discount anyway.

I think that text is ambiguous - it could just be attempting to explain that since there is no band below an A, that the discount is calculated as a 1/9th of the charge on a D.

Also, looking at the groups of people who can be disregarded for tax purposes:

people caring for someone with a disability who is not a husband, wife, civil partner, partner or child under 18. They must provide care for a minimum of 35 hours a week, live in the same property and the person for whom they are caring must be in receipt of certain Social security benefits

Wouldn't you or your husband (or both???) qualify for a disregard under that definition?

 

[Pescita]

No - the forms are different for each LA, but if the doctor is prepared to sign the form (my mother's resisted for the longest time ) a person with a serious mental impairment becomes invisible from the POV of council tax.

It's important, though, to apply for the right thing: there is a discount based on disability (which drops you from one grade to another so if you are B you become A).

The forms will differ, as each local authority produces their own, but the rules are the same for every authority.

I feel I should point out that the reduction in Council Tax banding is a reduction in the way the property is treated for Council Tax, whereas the severe mental impairment exemption is granted to a person - and then there is Council Tax Benefit, which I mentioned in my earlier post. A lot of less-well off elderly people will already be paying a reduced level of Council Tax (or none at all) even before they develop dementia, because they have claimed & been awarded benefit based on their low income. So there are a number of ways in which one can qualify for a reduction in Council Tax.

Yes, it's all rather bureaucratic & confusing, but the rules are not made up by Councils, they are set down in legislation by the government. If in doubt, contact your local Council & give as much detail as you can about your/your relative's circumstances, & don't assume too much about the reasons why a friend's parent or someone living in another area is getting a Council tax reduction.(OK, I confess - I work for a local authority. I'll start ducking now....)

 

[jenniferpa]

Nicely described Pescita

 

[Clive]

Just to add that when I eventually heard about the Council Tax Disregard for mum and sent in the form to claim it, the Council only allowed it back to the previous April (Start of the Council year).

With just a little pressure (I said the Council’s Social Services should have told me how to claim) the Council Tax was repaid right back to the date mum had been Diagnosis / started on AA.

Clive

 

[gigi]

yes, it's important to recognize there are 2 possible options: the disability discount, which varies the bands, or the serious mental impairment disregard which means you are not counted (that's the one where the AA comes in). Theoretically you could get one but not the other.

You can claim for both reductions.

We have the mental impairment disregard.

Last year we applied for and received the Band reduction, which was back-dated for a year. We were awarded this as the shower room and one bedroom have been adapted to meet Eric's decling mobility.
I was very surprised to get it as the lady who came to do the inspection was dubious.

Apparently if you are requiring the use of a wheelchair indoors the band reduction is more or less guaranteed.

xx

 

[Winnie Kjaer]

Having read a similar thread on here last year I eventually got our council tax backdated almost 3 full years. I was thrilled.