Disabled reduction

If you have adapted your home to meet the needs of a disabled person who does not need to be an adult to qualify but must permanently live in the property and the disabled person must be permanently and substantially disabled by illness, injury or congenital deformity or other reason, we may be able to reduce your Council Tax bill.

Who can get disability relief?

To qualify for disability relief the property must have at least one of the following:

• There is a room, other than a kitchen or bathroom, in the property which is mainly used for meeting the needs of a disabled person; OR
• There is a second bathroom or kitchen which is used for meeting the needs of the disabled person; OR
• There is sufficient floor space to permit the use of a wheelchair by the disabled person.

Rooms that qualify for the reduction

• Specially built therapy/treatment room.
• A room used to store medical equipment or machinery.
• A room adapted for dialysis.
• A specifically adapted bedroom.

A second bathroom or kitchen

• The fact that a property has a second bathroom or kitchen will not lead to a reduction unless it is essential to the disabled person that a second bathroom or kitchen is needed to meet their disability needs.
• These do not have to be mainly used by the disabled person and can be occasional use.
• A second lavatory is not treated as a bathroom.

The need to use a wheelchair indoors.

• The disabled person must both need and be able to use a wheelchair indoors.
• A person who normally uses a wheelchair but cannot do so indoors because corridors or doorways are too narrow will not qualify.
• The storage of a wheelchair indoors is not sufficient to qualify.

The room or the wheelchair must be of major importance to the disabled person’s wellbeing, due to the extent of the disability. ‘Major Importance’ would be considered as:

• The disabled person would find it physically impossible or extremely difficult to live in the property without the adaption.
• His/her health would suffer or the disability would be likely to worsen without the adaption.

Care homes

• Care Homes, may also qualify for a reduction.
• It is necessary for care homes to demonstrate that a feature is present which meets the specific needs of a person or person’s disability, even if it is used by the other residents. For example, some residents may need a second bathroom on the ground floor where their rooms are situated because they cannot use the bathroom situated on an other floor.
• The fact that a care home has disabled residents is not, on its own, sufficient grounds for a reduction.
• The need for a room, second kitchen or wheelchair space must be related to the nominated resident(s).

If you get disability relief you can still apply for other discounts. If you’re on a low income you can also still apply for Council Tax Support.

What will happen next?

Once we have received the application, we will contact you to discuss your application. 

How much will my bill be reduced by?

If you quality for disablity relief your bill will be reduced to that of the Council Tax band immediately below theband that your property is in. Properties valued in band A will have the bill reduced by a further 1/9th of the band D charge. We will send you a new Council Tax bill. 

 

Apply for a disabled reduction

Contact Council Tax

Email: council.tax@dover.gov.uk

Phone: 01304 872199