Is house maintenance relevant to DLA?

My house is in a bad state, garden overgrown, gate and fence needs fixing, carpet not kept clean or swept, boiler doesnt work, lots of clutter never tidied, roof leaking etc, but its not all my fault because i live with my father. Can house maintenance be a partially the fault of my mental illness or would they think my father is also mentally ill too and thus think its his responsibily to keep the house in order?

I am in my mid 30s and the ceiling drips water in one room when it rains heavily, and always drips in the extension. I don't own the house but my dad does. Would they say that paint flaking on the outside walls and a toilet which needs a bucket to be flushed is an eccentricity of my dad's or he's mentally ill rather than me because house maintenance isn't my responsibility?

The bad state of the house is relevant to my mental health because i put up with it?

I've read that housework is irrelevent to DLA but that social services have something to do with it, how? do you have to apply to social services for help with house work?

Lord Denning made a decision in which he said that DLA wasn't intended to cover the sort of thing that a wife would normally do. That would include things like shopping and housework.

DLA isn't there to pay for house-maintenance, on the other hand, your failure to be able to cope with looking after the place might be useful supportive evidence if you were going to show that you were at risk of self-neglect. I think that you would need to explain why you were mentioning it in relation to a specific question.

If you need help with housework, then this is indeed a matter for social services, but most local authorities restrict such care to the people that need it most, which may not include all people that need it to some extent, and they may charge you for it. Under a system called Fairer Charging, they are not allowed to take earnings into account when deciding how much you should pay, but the can take your benefits into account, including your DLA.

If your father is having problems with getting the house fixed, there are projects in some areas that help with this, and also some charities do.

Lord Denning made a decision in which he said that DLA wasn't intended to cover the sort of thing that a wife would normally do. That would include things like shopping and housework.

Really! What if it's the wife who receives DLA or you live alone? Which century is he in?

waltwhitman wrote:

Lord Denning made a decision in which he said that DLA wasn't intended to cover the sort of thing that a wife would normally do. That would include things like shopping and housework.

Really! What if it's the wife who receives DLA or you live alone? Which century is he in?

Lord Denning isn't in any century. He's dead!

DLA isn't there to pay for house-maintenance, on the other hand, your failure to be able to cope with looking after the place might be useful supportive evidence if you were going to show that you were at risk of self-neglect. I think that you would need to explain why you were mentioning it in relation to a specific question.

I think it may relate to Question 46 on the claim form about neglect: last winter our boiler broke down and we put up with the cold. The cooker i think maybe leaking gas, my dad opens the window after its been on.

I think it also relates to motivation - to ring up for a boiler repairer, talking to house maintenance professionals and choosing one at a decent price, looking through the yellow page or searching on the internet all takes time and effort something i've never had to take responsibilty for and i have difficulty learning about this - thus learning difficulties.

Lord Denning isn't in any century. He's dead!

Good grief! That's even worse! Will we never be rid of these people!