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If you have adapted your home to meet the needs of a disabled person who lives there full time, we might be able to reduce your council tax bill (known as disability relief).
The disabled person does not need to be an adult for you to qualify for the discount.
To qualify for disability relief, the property must have at least one of the following:
a room, other than a kitchen or bathroom, which is mainly used for meeting the needs of the disabled person
a second bathroom or kitchen which is used for meeting the needs of the disabled person
sufficient floor space to permit the use of a wheelchair by the disabled person.
a 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 second bathroom or kitchen must be essential to the disabled person to meet their needs
these do not have to be mainly used by the disabled person and can be for occasional use
a second lavatory is not treated as a bathroom.
the disabled person must both need and be able to use a wheelchair indoors
the discount won't apply if the wheelchair is only stored inside or they would normally use it inside but can't because of narrow doors or corridors
the wheelchair must be of major importance or essential to the disabled person’s wellbeing.
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
their health would suffer or the disability would likely worsen without the adaption.
Care homes may also qualify for a reduction:
care homes must show there is a feature in the home which meets the specific needs of a person or person’s disability, even if it is used by other residents
the fact that a care home has disabled residents is not, on its own, enough grounds for a reduction
the need for a room, second kitchen or wheelchair space must be related to the nominated resident(s).
Once we have received the application, we will contact you to discuss your case.
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
If you qualify for disability relief, your bill will be reduced to that of the council tax band immediately below the band that your property is in. Properties valued in Band A will have the bill reduced by 1/9th of the Band D charge. We will send you a new council tax bill.
