Attendance Allowance (AA) is a benefit for people aged 65 or over. You can get it if you have a physical or mental disability that means you need help with
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Attendance Allowance (AA) is a benefit for people aged 65 or over. You can get it if you have a physical or mental disability that means you need help with personal care or supervision. Do you get Attendance Allowance and rent a private home that is in disrepair? This guide explains how the two issues may be linked. It also explains your rights.
What is Attendance Allowance?
Attendance Allowance is a non-means-tested, non-contributory benefit. The Department for Work and Pensions pays it. It is for people who:
- Have reached state pension age (currently 66)
- Have a disability or health condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 6 months
- Need help with personal care (washing, dressing, eating, managing medication) or supervision to stay safe
There are two rates:
- Lower rate: for those who need help or supervision during the day or night, but not both
- Higher rate: for those who need help or supervision during both day and night, or who are terminally ill
Your home does not change Attendance Allowance. It does not matter if you rent or own. Your income and savings do not matter either. It is paid to help with the extra costs of having a disability.
How does disrepair affect Attendance Allowance recipients?
People who get Attendance Allowance are often older. Many have serious health conditions. Disrepair at home can hit them harder than a younger, healthier tenant:
- A broken boiler or poor heating can be a serious risk for an older person with heart disease, breathing problems, or poor circulation
- Damp and mould make conditions such as asthma, COPD, and arthritis worse
- Broken steps, cracked floors, and unsafe rails raise the risk of falls for older or disabled people
- A broken bath or shower can stop someone staying clean, if they need to bathe rather than shower because of how they move
- Cold and damp homes make existing conditions worse. They can lead to hospital stays.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) takes the vulnerability of the people living there into account. An older person in poor health counts as a vulnerable occupant. Because of this, hazards are judged to be more serious.
Can I make a housing disrepair claim?
Yes. Your age and any health conditions do not stop you making a housing disrepair claim. Your landlord must by law carry out some repairs. Has your landlord failed to do them, and has this hurt your health, comfort, or quality of life? Then you may be owed compensation.
Disrepair can affect an older or disabled person a great deal. This includes the harm to your health and the distress of living in a poor home. This shows in how compensation is worked out.
Does receiving Attendance Allowance affect my housing disrepair claim?
Not directly. Getting Attendance Allowance does not change your legal right to have your landlord repair the home. It does not change your right to compensation if they do not. But the condition or disability that lets you get Attendance Allowance may matter as evidence. It can show that you are a vulnerable occupant. That can matter when the impact of the disrepair is judged.
What about my carer?
Do you have a carer, paid or unpaid? The impact of disrepair on them can matter too. Disrepair that makes caring harder or less safe can be part of the wider picture when the claim's impact is judged.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
Are you an older person in a private rented home with disrepair your landlord has not fixed? Call us. We can tell you if you have a claim.
Call us on 0800 030 4669. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Sources
- Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (Attendance Allowance) (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) guidance (GOV.UK)
Related articles
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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