§ Shona McIsaacTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what account is taken of the type of property tenure when calculating care costs for the elderly; [37755]
(2) whether tenants of leasehold properties are treated differently from residents of freehold properties for the purposes of calculating care costs for the elderly. [37756]
§ Jacqui SmithIn the statutory charging system for residential care the value of a property is generally taken into account when assessing a person's ability to contribute to the cost of their care. Each council will need to establish the amount a property is worth. This is done by referring each case to the district valuer or a professional valuer who will give them the current market price. The value of a property can depend on whether it is freehold or leasehold. Other than this, the tenants of leasehold properties and residents of freehold properties are treated identically when they are financially assessed for residential accommodation.