If our assessment of your needs means that you need to move into a care home, you will have a financial assessment to see if you need help to pay for the care home.

If you own a property that is your main home, we'll consider whether the value of your home is included in your financial assessment

In some circumstances your property will not be included within the financial assessment. This is known as a property disregard.

Automatic property disregard

The value of your home may be ignored in the financial assessment if someone else has been living in the home and continues to live there when you leave.  This person may be:

• your partner, former partner or civil partner, except if you are estranged from that person
• a lone parent who is your estranged or divorced partner
• a relative of yours who is over 60
• your child who is under 18

Property disregard for 12 weeks

Even if your home is not automatically disregarded because it is occupied, it will still be disregarded for 12 weeks if:

• you are in permanent residential care (a care home)
• the outcome of your financial assessment (without including the value of your home) is under £23,250

This may apply when you first enter a care home as a permanent resident, or when the automatic property disregard has unexpectedly ended because your relative has died or moved into a care home.

We may also consider a 12-week disregard where there has been a sudden and unexpected change in your financial circumstances, such as a loss of value in stocks and shares.