Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

(2) A 'deferred payment agreement' is an agreement under which a local authority agrees not to require until the specified time either or both of the following-- (a) the payment of the specified part of the amounts due from an adult to the authority under such provision of this Part or of regulations under this Part as is specified in regulations; (b) the repayment of the specified part of a loan made under the agreement by the authority to an adult for the purpose of assisting the adult to obtain the provision of care and support for the adult.

If you need residential care, the council will assess what you need and whether you can afford to pay for a care home. You may only be able to pay care home fees if you sell your house. If this is the case, the council may help pay the fees while you wait for your house to be sold. You would still have to pay as much as you can during this time, based on your income or available capital. Once the house is sold, you would then have to repay the council. In certain circumstances councils will have to offer this scheme to people. Broadly this is when someone has limited savings other than the value of their property.

A DPA is a means by which an individual can 'defer' or delay accessing the equity in their home to pay for their care. The local authority pays the costs of care on an interim basis and is repaid at a later date - either after the sale of property (or other security) or after the person receiving care has died.

A DPA is a means by which an individual can 'defer' or delay accessing the equity in their home to pay for their care. The local authority pays the costs of care on an interim basis and is repaid at a later date - either after the sale of property (or other security) or after the person receiving care has died.