Warm Home discount eligibility when people lack Mental Capacity

alostdad

hello

Hoping for help. We received contact from the Warm Home Discount Scheme to apply. When I got through to the team, they said my son (the person who is disabled) needed to be on the account. So I contacted my energy supplier Octopus (other providers are available) and they said I could only do this if I had a lasting power of attorney. Now in this case it isn’t an LPA I need but it is Deputeeship from the court of protection over finances.

Frustratingly they did say (I’m assuming they’re incorrect) that we could apply directly to the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

We do not have this a deputeeship, in large due to the excessive cost of making an application, but I wasn’t sure if other people had overcome this issue?

MSE_ForumTeam5

We've moved your post to a more suitable part of the forum

Albermarle

We get the £150 warm home discount paid directly to the energy account, which is in my name.

I am not the person who is the reason we get the discount.

In fact I do not think we ever applied for the discount, it just appeared one year . We also get a letter about the same time telling us we are going to get it.

The letter is addressed to the vulnerable person and says the discount is being paid automatically as they are in receipt of a qualifying means tested benefit and your representative is named in the account if you are not capable of dealing with it.

No PoA or Deputyship involved.

So from my experience the disabled person does not need to be in the account, so it would seem that what you were told was wrong?

marcia_

yes same here letter came addressed to hubby and the discount went on the bill only my name is on.

Newcad

Remember however that it could make a difference if this is Scotland or England/Wales that we are talking about.

An Application would have been needed in Scotland as the qualifing person here wouldn't be in Core Group 1.