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Lady over 60yrs old has a property in Wales, which was originally two properties.
Husband owned both properties, so knocked through the shared wall to create an inner door between the two properties, making it effectively one property. Lady's mother-in-law used to reside in what use to be the smaller property while lady and husband lived in what used to be the larger property.
Both, husband and mother-in-law are now deceased and lady lives alone in the property.
The Pension Service seems to be willing to accept it as one property. However, even when the husband was alive, the council refused to accept or revaluate banding as one property.
As a Pension Guarantee Credit claimant the lady gets full CTB for the smaller property but is charged full Council tax charges for the larger property.
Client cannot afford to pay the council tax charges for the larger property on the income she has so she locks the joining door in the summer for 6 weeks while she rents what was originally the larger property out to holidaymakers and lives in what used to be the smaller property. She then moves back for the rest of year so the smaller part of the property is then empty. She uses the income generated from the 6-week rent to pay the council tax charges.
Since council deem them to be two separate properties do you think the lady will qualify for the 50% discount on the larger property? Will having the holidaymakers there for 6 weeks of the year or the fact that she moves back in to it for the rest of the year, disqualify her?
If anyone has had a similar case or knows what she can do I would really appreciate your advice and help.
Thanks
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