Council tax reduction ?

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  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260
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    kpwll wrote: »
    We had a ground floor extension to enable me to have a wet-room and downstairs loo.
    Someone told me about the reduction so I phoned the council, explained my situation and asked. They sent a gentleman out to see exactly what we had done and he told me there and then that we were eligible for a discount (for disabled facilities) to a band lower than we were on.
    It wasn't backdated, but it was from the day/month I applied.
    Rules on backdating are limited as it's treated slightly different to the normal council tax rules but there's no apparent reason why backdating couldn't have applied.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260
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    Dandytf wrote: »
    I don't know what smi is
    See post#9

    I do know that council tax reduction is calculated form claim date if all required doc's are received.
    It wasn't a refund for years offer, almost negligible difference.
    Council Tax Reduction has different rules on backdating compared to council tax discounts and exemptions.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • kpwll
    kpwll Posts: 4,273
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    CIS wrote: »
    Rules on backdating are limited as it's treated slightly different to the normal council tax rules but there's no apparent reason why backdating couldn't have applied.

    We didn't ask for it to be backdated :)
  • sheramber
    sheramber Posts: 18,869
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    https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/can-i-claim-welfare-benefits-if-i-m-living-with-a-mental-illness/council-tax-exemptions-and-support-to-pay/

    Exemption due to severe mental impairment

    The local authority can decide you do not need to pay council tax – this is called exemption.

    The council tax rules say that a person is exempt from council tax if they have a ‘severe mental impairment’. It says that ‘a person is severely mentally impaired if they have a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning which appears to be permanent’.

    To get this, you need a doctor to sign a medical certificate that says you are severely mentally impaired, and you need to get one of the following benefits:

    Disability Living Allowance with the middle or highest rate care component,
    Personal Independence Payment Daily Living Component (standard or enhanced rate),
    Attendance Allowance,
    Severe Disablement Allowance,
    Employment and Support Allowance,
    Incapacity Benefit,
    Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance with a disability premium,
    Working Tax Credit with the disability element.

    How do I know if I am eligible for a council tax exemption?

    If you think several of the points below apply to you, we would advise applying for a council tax exemption.
    Mental health condition

    Do you have a severe and enduring mental illness, such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder?
    Does your mental health condition mean your thinking is disordered or slow?
    Do you have a small social circle, and find it difficult to trust people?

    PIP

    Do you claim PIP and score points for question 11 (Engaging with other people face to face)?
    This is a good indicator that your condition is impacting on your social functioning.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260
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    To get this, you need a doctor to sign a medical certificate that says you are severely mentally impaired, and you need to get one of the following benefits:


    Straight away they've slipped in to a mistake - there is no requirement to 'get' a qualifying benefit, the relevant legislation does not require that. It requires only that a person be 'entitled'.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • sheramber
    sheramber Posts: 18,869
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    CIS wrote: »
    Straight away they've slipped in to a mistake - there is no requirement to 'get' a qualifying benefit, the relevant legislation does not require that. It requires only that a person be 'entitled'.

    Note that the quote is from an advice website not a council.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260
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    sheramber wrote: »
    Note that the quote is from an advice website not a council.


    It is but they should be giving correct information as otherwise all they do is confuse an already troublesome issue.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • So I’ve spoken to my council this week and they tried to fob me off by still saying it was DLA at the highest rate so I held in there and the snotty woman went off to get it checked not realising that PIP replaced this . They’ve sent me a form which I’ve received today and it’s crossed out with PIP now and states standard rate . I’ve got to fill it in and they will contact my GP who I’ve spoken to today and clarifies that I’m on their stroke list and suffered a cellebrum hemorrage back in 2015 and brain tumour Cavernous sinus meningioma diagnosed from this stroke in 2015 . Lasting damage and could relapse with bleed at anytime . I’ll fill the form in and see how I get on . Could be very interesting as It’s apparent my council don’t want to part with money that’s actually entitled to be paid and their staff could do with some extra training .
  • KatrinaWaves
    KatrinaWaves Posts: 2,944
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    Sweetie16 wrote: »
    So I’ve spoken to my council this week and they tried to fob me off by still saying it was DLA at the highest rate so I held in there and the snotty woman went off to get it checked not realising that PIP replaced this . They’ve sent me a form which I’ve received today and it’s crossed out with PIP now and states standard rate . I’ve got to fill it in and they will contact my GP who I’ve spoken to today and clarifies that I’m on their stroke list and suffered a cellebrum hemorrage back in 2015 and brain tumour Cavernous sinus meningioma diagnosed from this stroke in 2015 . Lasting damage and could relapse with bleed at anytime . I’ll fill the form in and see how I get on . Could be very interesting as It’s apparent my council don’t want to part with money that’s actually entitled to be paid and their staff could do with some extra training .

    Its not money being paid out, it simply reduces your council tax bill, there is no cash benefit.

    Honestly the way you are on this post shows that you will not qualify for this exemption. You are clearly not severely mentally impaired. I appreciate you have issues arising from your stroke but your mental cognition and intelligence seems higher than many other posters around the forum!
  • pyrolizzie
    pyrolizzie Posts: 26
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    My husband is disabled & in a wheelchair. He has multiple sclerosis & struggles to do anything these days.

    We moved into our bungalow in August 2013 because of his problems which have actually worsened since then.

    We have had quite a bit of work done in the bungalow including widening of doorways, lower access shower (not a wetroom) & a higher toilet & bidet.

    I was reading something on MSE about getting Council Tax reduced for a disabled person & decided to contact our Council (Rotherham, South Yorkshire) about it. I filled in an online form & it took them around 2 weeks to contact me. They made an appointment to come out & do an assessment.

    The young lady who came out took one look at my husband & his wheelchair (which was at the side of him) & said, yes you qualify for the discount (one band lower than we were currently paying) but she still had a quick look around & said even if he wasn't in a wheelchair, the work we had had done in the bathroom would have qualified us. She did however say that if we had only had the one bathroom that both he & I used (that would not have been a reason to grant it), however we actually have a main bathroom & 2 en-suites so that would have qualified us.

    I asked if it would be backdated & was told it would definitely be backdated to the beginning of the tax year, however given that the reason we had moved to the bungalow & that my husband had been in his wheelchair for the majority of the time we had been here she said she would see if it could be backdated any further. She did advise that in some circumstances they could backdate by 5 years. She also asked why we had not applied before now & I said we had not known about it but had found out via MSE.

    A week after the assessment I got a phone call to say that we had definitely got the reduction & to my surprise it was also going to be backdated to when we moved into the bungalow (that is nearly 6 years ago). We have just received a refund of just over £1000 & out bill has been reduced by around £13 per month going forward.

    If anyone else out there is applying, ask about it been backdated as well. I presume it is up to the relevant council but ours certainly did it.
    :j:T
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