PIP appointee for son and mobility when we already have a car on finance
Hello looking for some advice please. My 16 year old son has just been awarded enhanced daily living and enhanced mobility of PIP and I am his appointee. I don’t drive but my husband does and the car is used to get my husband to and from work, shopping and appointments. Our current car is on finance which was taken out when my husband had a better paid job. As it’s stand right now We are just getting by financially each month but barely and if anything major was to go wrong with our car we wouldn’t have money to fix it or anything which is always worrying for us at MOT time…. Would it be unreasonable for us to sell the car and clear the remaining finance on it and get a mobility car with the mobility component of my sons PIP as it would save us a fortune in car finance/insurance/tax and we would hopefully be able to pay our remaining monthly bills on time instead of late. or would it be frowned upon because we currently already have a car?
We wouldn’t take anything else from him to go towards any other costs related to his disability so the remaining £440 daily living component would be all his to spend as he wanted. Thank you.
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If you got a mobility car your husband wouldn't be able to use it to and from work,it can only be used for your sons benefit.
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even though him working benefits my son? He is the only one with a job so without this my son wouldn’t have food, heat, electricity, a home even.
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You can't use a Motability car in your son's name for personal reasons. Son either needs to be in the car or being used for his benefit. Your husbands appointments etc wouldn't be allowed under Motability T&C's.
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I didn’t mean just husbands appointments. The main appointments are for my son but there may be the odd one for me and my husband too
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The car is only to be used for the benefit of the disabled person which means, taking him to appointments, collecting medication and shopping etc.
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You still wouldn't be able to use the Motability car for yours or husbands personal use.
And as his appointee you have a responsibility to spend all of his money in his best interests.
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I think you will need to be careful unless your son is having very regular appointments, this won't be a good use of your son's money and, as appointee, you are charged with making best use of that money.
My son also gets enhanced mobiliity but he has cognitive difficulties and no physical disability.
He had many, many hospital appts up until the age of 16 when he was in paediatric services but these all ceased completely when he became adult and all therapy finished.
Of course only you know your son and if he is going to still require the same amount of hospital treatment in adult services.
In our son's case, he will never be able to drive himself due to his learning disability but he is able to travel by bus. One route alone and other routes accompanied. He qualifies for a free bus pass and a carer can travel free with him too which works best for him.
I think it would have landed us in a whole heap of trouble had we used his mobility to finance our car - our son does travel to work each day (mix of voluntary and supported employment) but we helped him learn to take a bus. Took a few years for him to get it but he can do it now - he is 26 now.
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I have actually just rang motability and was told that if my husband works to bring income in to the home which benefits my son then he can use it for work. Still not sure on what to do though
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You ask if it would be unreasonable to sell your current car and use the mobility component of your son's PIP to get a Motability car. If your car was bought through a normal bank loan (unsecured), you can sell it and pay off the remaining balance. However, if the car is on finance (secured), it belongs to the finance company until the loan is fully paid off. In this case, you would need to contact the finance company for a settlement figure and pay off the balance before selling the car. Trying to sell a car on finance without settling the loan could lead to complications, so it’s important to check with the finance company first to understand all your options.
As for using the mobility component of your son's PIP for a Motability car, that could be a valid option, if your son is happy for you to do so. However, keep in mind that Motability cars can sometimes take months to arrive after approval. Over the last few years, I’ve seen many of our members experience long waits, so be prepared for a gap between selling your current car and receiving the new one.
There’s a lot to consider, so it’s essential to ensure you’re not left without transport in the meantime. I hope everything works out well for you and your family.
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That's good news for you then! One thing to check is that this is still ok once your son turns 18 and will be considered non dependent by law. I don't suppose Motability will care; they just want a car sold.
But it might be worth checking, to keep yourself right.
And then - as your son has full capacity to be able to discuss this with you, understand and agree to it - I guess, like all mentally competant teens, he's going to want his own independence and his own car pretty soon!
What happens then?!
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If you are implying that a discussion with my son wasn’t the first thing that we did before even considering this as an option then you are mistaken. My son knows how much he will be getting paid for daily living and mobility and he understands that if we went ahead with the car he would loose his mobility component but he still wants us to get the car as he knows it is the most viable option for our family currently. As stated in the post we are struggling financially, for full clarity my husband had to take a lesser paid job due to health issues with his back and I can’t work due to severe mental health and autism. Currently rent is in arrears, electric is in arrears, other things such as car finance are being paid late. We are having to lend from family. There is only so long it can be sustained for especially with the cost of living, until we potentially have to give the car up or worse even loose our home. What position would my son be in then? At least if we went for the motability car we would have 3 years of not worrying about getting my husband to work and my son to his appointments and the money saved from car payments can hopefully go towards rent arrears/getting us straight etc. how does all of the above not benefit my son keeping a roof over his head? It’s not like the car would not be used for his benefit. Besides he is quite happy with £450 a month to spend however he pleases.
Or alternatively my son has £750 a month to blow on whatever he likes whilst we are financially drowning struggling to put a roof over his head/food on the table. Make it make sense!
Regarding my son himself wanting to drive, that has also been discussed with him and he just hasn’t got the confidence or the will at the moment. It takes me all of my time to get him out of his bedroom to attend appts never mind learn to drive a car. Just because he’s a mentally competent teenager it doesn’t mean that he will want to drive! Maybe he never will. I am a mentally competent 34 year old and have never had the desire to learn to drive as my anxiety is too severe so that comment is redundant!
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Nothing intended to be implied - apologies.
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I'm confused!
Three different users posting in a way which suggests they are the same person?
klouise123 OP
then
amyjakesimon
then
amyflood25
Anyway the advice is the same, a Motability car can't be used as a normal family car, it is for the use and benefit of the disabled person, yes that can include the parents work but not their own personal health appointments or own shopping.
There was a thread on here before where a lady with many children was refused a vehicle big enough to fit them all in, because being able to drive around all siblings was not a permitted use of the scheme. Ie a replacement family vehicle instead of a car for the benefit and use of the person whose benefit award was paying.
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why not get your son to pay £100 a week keep and use that money to pay off your arrears and when your all clear think about using his mobility to get a car if you lose the house a mobility car wont be much good to you without somewhere to live
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Yes sorry I know that’s confusing. I made a new account yesterday thinking I didn’t have the passwords saved for the other 2 I had but now because the site is opened in safari instead of my google app it keeps logging me out when I’m inactive and then when I click login to come back on it just logs me in to whichever one of the three! Not very good with tech as you can probably tell
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Because I thought that the disability benefits couldn’t be used to pay keep?
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Ok, my apologies if taken the wrong way
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Many households have a disabled person who contributes towards day to day expenses out of benefit income.
Even when those benefits are managed by an appointee.
It's an entirely reasonable way for the disabled person/their appointee to spend some of their income.
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oh I’m so confused! Everywhere I look I’m seeing conflicting information. On one of the Facebook groups I seen someone being told it’s not her son’s responsibility to be paying keep from his DLA. I think I am going to get my husband to take over as the appointee as the whole thing is sending my mental health through the roof. I’m petrified I am going to be held legally responsible for making any wrong decisions.
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Facebook groups aren't the best place for accurate benefits advice.
You mentioned your Son is 16, that is a little young in my own opinion to be taking keep, as you still get child related benefits for him I presume?
You could instead look at what you are paying for him out of your own income that he could now fund out of his PIP income. Freeing up your money to get on top of the bills.
Anything that is directly relevant to his health needs should come from PIP. Perhaps taxis to medical appointments to save the cost of fuel and wear&tear on your car
Phone contract, new handset, gaming expenses, clothes and shoes that are wants not needs etc he can all now pay for himself.
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