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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To shop neighbour who has been given disability car as a "gift"

178 replies

Jollyranchermuncher · 22/10/2011 13:20

neighbours dad has a brand new sporty disability car that he has gifted to his daughter for her own full use.

It is hers, the dad stays in the next town and never it, I know she has full use of it.

Usually I would mind my own business over most things but it just makes me seethe that she has been given this and so many people who need things have to go without.

It also has a built in bluebadge so she can conveniently park in disabled spaces.

Am not quite sure how payment for disability cars work I take it her dad has to use his dla for the car? But it still seems like a huge take the piss off the system?

OP posts:
troisgarcons · 22/10/2011 13:48

If motability cars were for 'sole use' - we would still have three wheeled inavlid carriages which seat one person.

plainwhitet · 22/10/2011 13:49

tbh if I were you it would not be the fact of the car itself (after all, yes, the disabled person does have to pay the down payment out of their own cash- a few cars are down payment-free but if it is a sporty model I doubt this one would fall into that bracket; and he has to divert quite a sum from his disability benefits to pay for the lease); perhaps the young woman is doing all sorts of driving for the dad etc etc; but the use of blue badges when the disabled person is not in the car makes me so angry: the photo id is on the back side of the card so is not on display. I have sat in my (motability) car with my (severely disabled, wheelchair dependent) daughter waiting for a space in our tesco disabled spaces section and watched time and time again perfectly able bodied looking people park, leave their cars, and toddle merrily off towards the store.However, as one of the posters says above, you cannot KNOW there is not a hidden disability so one just has to sit there in silence and not challenge them. I wish a tesco parking bloke would just check picture against driver/passengers from time to time as technically one is not even meant to use the disabled spaces unless the disabled person is actually in the car. (Running errands etc does not count in fact.)And breathe.

borderslass · 22/10/2011 13:49

It is allowed Zelda, a friend of mine has a motability car for her son who is severely autistic the only time she doesn't use it without him is in severe weather as insurance wouldn't cover her in case of accident.

saintlyjimjams · 22/10/2011 13:50

Old raver - that's because of the disabled tax though. I coukd get a motability car and tax it myself and then use the car for my personal benefit. It's the tax class that affects who should be driving the car (along with insurance etc as well)

startofnewterm · 22/10/2011 13:52

I have a motability car for my dd and also a blue badge. I have checked with motability about how I can use the car because I need to go to work straight from dropping dd at school and collect her from school straight from work. Its not practical to take her to school, bring the car home and then get the bus into town to go to work, and vice versa on the way home. Its perfectly reasonable to carry on my journey to and from work. Its also allowed that I can do the food shopping on my day off, even if dd isnt with me. Food is a necessity for her (as it is everyone) therefore it is reasonable to use the car for it.

I never, ever, use the blue badge though unless she is with me.

borderslass · 22/10/2011 13:54

startofnewterm I think alot of people get mixed up between using the car and blue badge.

startofnewterm · 22/10/2011 13:59

border, yes I agree.

Also, the thing about only using the car for journeys related to the disabled person, well there is a bit of flexibility in that. People seem to forget that a motability car is not free, we pay all of our mobility dla towards it. Its completely unaffordable for us to own another car, purely for journeys that dont involve my daughter, and impractical to buy one, pay tax & ni on it just for the odd occassion that we need to go somewhere which is not for her. We dont want/need/cant afford 2 cars. So we use the motability one for everything.

ZeldaUpNorth · 22/10/2011 14:00

Just to add i never used the blue badge unless he was with me-even when my nan was insisting (like i say she is old so its hard for her to walk far, but not entitled to dla)

saintlyjimjams · 22/10/2011 14:01

Agree with start. We don't take the piss with the motability car - but at times ds1 is not in the car (I am about to drive 4 miles and back with his brother - ds1 is in respite).

I never use the blue badge unless ds1 is with me (have had blue badge parking issues myself too many times to mess up someone else).

startofnewterm · 22/10/2011 14:02

zelda, your nan could still get a blue badge even though she may not qualify for dla. When my dd was a baby and on oxygen 24/7 I managed to get one because I had to cart a portable cylinder around with me everywhere. The motability part of dla isnt available until they are 3 years old. But, the council granted me a blue badge due to my circumstances. Perhaps its worth a try if you get a doctors letter from her and submit it to them.

rhondajean · 22/10/2011 14:05

Theres 3 seperate components - the motability car, the road tax and the blue badge.

The only one I can talk about with any authority is the road tax and I am absolutely certain about it as we investigated thoroughly earlier in teh year when SFIL was dying as DH was taking him to hospital, getting prescriptions etc but for the ROAD TAX its specifically SOLE USE of the disabled person, although they do not need to be in the car eg getting shopping/prescriptions the car must not be used at all for any activity that is nto for their benefit.

Ruled it out for us as DH couldnt use the car for work etc.

Blue badge obviously we all know is only for use of the disable person and isnt linked to a specific car is it?

Motability car - not sure.

borderslass · 22/10/2011 14:06

Don't have blue badge or motability for DS but rely on car his journey to school was a 2 hour round journey twice a day [council fecked up in his last year]

startofnewterm · 22/10/2011 14:08

rhondajea, but could it not be interpreted that going to and from a place of work IS for their benefit. I can understand it not being allowed if the job itself involves driving but just commuting, I am pretty sure it is allowed.

Fluffycloudland77 · 22/10/2011 14:08

afaik the car can be driven by someone else, dh has a friend whos daughter has had one since she was about 5 years old. The mom obv drives it.

I honestly dont think they will be bothered what this man does once the car is delivered.

DH is motor trade and the scams that go on with motab cars are pretty cynical. E.g one of my patients had a puncture, dealership replaced all tyres but it was not needed. he could have just had one new tyre.

oldraver · 22/10/2011 14:09

Saintly yes I realise that, and I am assuming from the info of the OP that that is the case here..

My Dad was allowed one named person on the insurance and paid for myself to be on there as well, though I would of thought it would only be once or twice a year I would be the driver.

rhondajean · 22/10/2011 14:13

Not for the tax start, its only for the disabled person.

"The vehicle must only be used for your purposes, for example shopping or getting prescriptions.

If it is being used by the nominee or someone else for their own personal needs, then the exemption will be lost. If you no longer qualify for vehicle tax exemption, you'll need to pay vehicle tax."

I would imagine if its your child and you are working to pay the bills, that would even be different for the tax, but if you are an adult and its for a parent and you maintain your own house, its not for the disabled persons benefit.

Like I said thats not motability just the road tax - there are two ways to get motability I think and only one involved free disabled road tax.

valiumredhead · 22/10/2011 14:17

Built in blue badge? Confused

Personally OP I think you ought to mind your own beeswax and not worry about what other people are getting. Mobility cars are not 'free' - she isn't get a free ride , so to speak Wink

borderslass · 22/10/2011 14:18

Anyone who gets HRM qualifies for free road tax IIRC regardless of motability car or not unless rules have changed.

rhondajean · 22/10/2011 14:20

Nope still the same borders, think theres one or two other qualifiers for it too but thats the main one.

lesley33 · 22/10/2011 14:23

Some posters may be being naive. The OP has either:

  1. Seen neighbour with car and assuming it is not being used for the benefit of disabled person - may or may not be - OP can't know for sure.
  2. Neighbour is boasting that he has this car for free and it is not used for disabled person. This would also explain why the OP knows so much about the details. And some people do "boast" about stuff like this.
thefirstMrsDeVeerie · 22/10/2011 14:32

My husband has a mobility car.
I have a small car that is on its last legs (wheels). We got it when DD was sick.

When my car dies we will not be able to buy another one.

It would be pretty counterproductive to force families to run two cars as DLA is supposed to make up for the 'additional expenses incured by disability'

Of course I use my OH's car. If I do the shopping or take the kids to clubs I use the bigger, family car.

He doesnt have to be in it fgs.

If the neighbour has a sports model he would have put down a huge deposit of thousands of pounds first. The car is not his and when the lease is up he will get no money back. He is paying for it. It is not free.

If she is not using the car for the benefit of her father then she is commiting fraud and should be reported.

Why her father should spend his DLA on his DD every month and get nothing from it is bizarre. He could be using that money to get cabs. That car is costing him a lot of money.

SparklyGothKat · 22/10/2011 14:33

I was told that my dp could use DS1s motability car to get to and from work as it benefits the family.

thefirstMrsDeVeerie · 22/10/2011 14:33

She is not entitled to use the blue badge either and should be reported. Her father risks a fine and losing his badge.

thefirstMrsDeVeerie · 22/10/2011 14:35

My friend has two severely disabled children. She has a car.
When they are at school she drives the car.
Should she get a bus between 9-3.30? Or perhaps have a second car to use when she is on her own Hmm

Fiendishlie · 22/10/2011 14:38

cross-purposes, Sansa, sorry Blush. You are correct that a motability car can be kept by someone else on the disabled person's behalf, of course. The OP descibes a situation where there is no evidence that the car is being used for the benefit of the disabled person, rather that it was given as a gift for the use of the daughter, this is what is wrong. The new rules look like they will help address this problem. Anecdotal evidence suggests it is quite widespread, many people getting a car with Grannies motability eligibility, as it were.