Deferred payment schemes for adult social care

Your home

Valuing

You will be asked to provide an independent property valuation. We may also need further valuations during the life of the scheme.

If the property is jointly owned, or there are complications regarding legal and beneficial ownership, you can request an independent valuation if you disagree with our valuation.

A valuation may need to be provided from a specialised independent valuation firm. The cost of any valuations will be recharged through our administration fees.

Partners and relatives living there

If the property is occupied by certain people, we won't offer a DPA.

If the property is continuously occupied, either full time or in part by following people, the value of the property is disregarded and we won't offer DPA:

1. Your partner or civil partner (except where they are estranged)
2. A lone parent who is your estranged or divorced partner
3. An appropriate relative (as defined by the Care Act 2014) of you who is:

• aged 60 or over
  or
• your child who is aged under 18 or incapacitated

If someone does live in your property at the time you go into a care home, the circumstances will be investigated to determine whether or not the value of your home will be disregarded.

Letting someone else live in it

You do not need to sell your home if you don’t want to. If you would like someone to live in your house during a deferred payment agreement you will need to contact us first.

It must be maintained and adequately insured for as long as you have the deferred payment agreement and this can be cheaper and easier if someone is living there.

Renting it out

You could decide to rent it out to generate income and use it to reduce the amount you defer. You will be allowed to keep 20% of any net rental income. You can keep less to further reduce the amount deferred, but this is your choice.

Before you rent out your property you should seek independent advice as you will have responsibilities as a landlord.

Selling it after your death

The Executor of your estate should arrange repayment of the money owed to us, either by putting your home up for sale, or from other assets in your estate.

This will usually need to be done within 90 days. If the money owed is repaid without your home being sold, then your property will be dealt with according to any instructions you have left.

Last updated 15 November 2022