What if I own property?
If you are admitted to a home permanently and have property or other capital valued over £23,250, you will usually have to pay the full cost of your care, although sometimes the property will not be taken into account.
Your property might not be taken into account if one of the following still lives in the property:
- your partner
- a member of your family who is aged 60 or over
- a member of your family who is aged under 16 and you are responsible for his/her care
- a member of your family who is ill or disabled (this means they are receiving or could be receiving a disability benefit)
We will ignore the value of your property if your stay in a home is only temporary and we expect that you will return home.
If you do enter permanent care, we will disregard the value of your home for up to 12 weeks. During this time, you will only pay a contribution towards the care based on your income and capital (excluding the value of your home). If you sell your home during these 12 weeks, you must inform our Financial Assessments and Benefits Advice Team as this will affect your contribution.
If you own a property which has not been disregarded and you do not have the income and savings to pay the full cost, you may apply for the deferred payment scheme.
Under the deferred payment scheme, you will pay an amount that we assess you are able to pay. The difference between the amount you pay and the full cost will then need to be paid to us when the property is sold or the agreement ended. We will put a legal charge on the property to secure any debt as part of this agreement. You must take independent legal and financial advice if you apply for this scheme.