Disabled Relief Scheme

Disabled Band Reduction

You may be able to pay less Council Tax under the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme if your home has had work carried out on it to help you or someone else living there with a disability. However, having a disability does not automatically entitle you to a reduction.

Can I qualify for a Disabled Band Reduction?

The requirements for a reduction are that the property must be the main residence of at least one disabled person and it must have at least one of the following:

• an additional bathroom or kitchen for the use of the disabled person only,
• any other room (not being a toilet) which is mainly used by the disabled person, or
• enough space for the use of a wheelchair - if the wheelchair is for outdoor use only, this will not count.

The room or the wheelchair must also be essential or of major importance to the disabled person’s well-being, due to the nature and extent of their disability.

‘Disabled person’ in this context means a person who is substantially and permanently disabled caused by illness, injury, congenital deformity or otherwise.  The disabled person can be either an adult or a child and does not have to be responsible for paying the Council Tax bill.

Please note an extra room does not need to have been specially built, but your home will not qualify for a reduction unless the ‘essential or of major importance’ test above is met. Simply rearranging rooms (for example, having a bedroom on the ground floor rather than the first floor), having a Stannah stair lifts, additional rails inside and outside the property or possessing a disabled parking permit is unlikely to make your home eligible for a reduction.

If you feel you qualify, please contact the Council Tax Department on 020 7361 3005, from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. We may need to send an inspector to view your property in order to see if you are eligible.

What happens if my home meets this criteria?

If your home is eligible, your bill will be reduced to that of a property in the next Council Tax band down. For example, a Band D property will be charged a Band C rate. Even if your property is in Band A (the lowest band) you will still receive a reduction. It will be the same in cash terms as the reductions for homes in Band B, C or D.