Disabled Persons Allowance
Disabled Persons Allowance is a 25 per cent reduction on domestic rates, for properties that have been adapted to meet the needs of the person or persons with a disability living in the household.
Qualifying for Disabled Persons Allowance
Having a disability does not automatically entitle you to this allowance.
Disabled Persons Allowance (DPA) is awarded only when the property includes at least one of the adaptations listed below. These adaptations must be essential or of major importance to meet the needs of the person with a disability living there.
The allowance is not affected by income or savings.
The allowance is for any household where:
- a person with a disability lives
- the property has been adapted internally or has additional facilities added to suit the disabled person's needs
There must be a clear link between how the property has been adapted and the person's disability.
Adaptations
The property must be adapted to meet the needs of the person with a disability who lives in your home. Types of adaptations that qualify are:
- a room, other than a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, which is wholly used by the person with a disability for treatment or therapy
- an extra kitchen for the person with a disability
- an extra toilet for the person with a disability (including an ensuite)
- an extra bathroom (including extra toilets and an ensuite)
- enough floor space to use a wheelchair easily inside the property (wheelchairs for outdoor use only are excluded)
Rearranging rooms to meet the needs of the disabled person, for example, having a bedroom on the ground floor rather than the first floor, would likely not qualify for DPA.
How to apply
To apply for Disabled Persons Allowance (DPA), the person who pays rates on the property must send an application form.
You can send the completed form as an attachment by email to LPS or to the postal address on the form.
Information you will need
When applying for DPA, you must include:
- the National Insurance Number for the disabled person
- information about the person's disability along with any supporting medical evidence
- information about adaptions made to your home to accommodate the disabled person's needs
Where relevant, LPS will ask the person with a disability for permission to contact their GP or health professional if necessary.
Home visit
More information to support your application may be needed. A member of the Disabled Persons Allowance team may visit your property or ask you to provide evidence of how your home has been adapted.
If you would like an interpreter to be present during a visit, you can ask for this when you apply.
Paying your rates
If you apply for DPA, you must continue to pay your rate bill while LPS make a decision about your application. This includes while you wait for a home visit to take place.
If your application is successful, LPS will refund the amount you have overpaid or credit the amount due to your account.
If you want more information visit Help paying your rates.
Contact DPA team
- online: contact DPA team(external link opens in a new window / tab)
- email: applicationbased.raterelief@finance-ni.gov.uk
- telephone: 0300 200 7801
- text relay: 18001 0300 200 7801
- by writing to:
Land & Property Services
Disabled Persons Allowance
Lanyon Plaza
7 Lanyon Place
Town Parks
Belfast
BT1 3LP
Benefits calculator
You can use the online calculator to check other benefits or allowances you could receive.