Use PIP or DLA to Lease a Mobility Scooter

Under the Motability Scheme, if you are receiving a higher rate of mobility allowance, then you can use this allowance to lease a mobility scooter. This includes:-

• The Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of the Personal Independent Payment or PIP
• The Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance or DLA

You can also join the scheme if you receive The War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement or the Armed Forces Independence Payment.

This is a great way to access a brand new reliable mobility scooter, which is both flexible and hassle-free and gets you mobile. Benefit recipients can exchange all or part of their mobility allowance to lease the scooter and just pick a price that works for them. The payments are deducted from the higher rate mobility allowance every four weeks and paid to Motability direct by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

What is so great about leasing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XH334ATUEE

Leasing takes all the worry and responsibility out of owning a mobility scooter. Each lease with Motability lasts for three years and gives you immediate access to a brand new scooter. The contract will include:-

• Insurance to protect you against accident, damage or theft
• Servicing and repairs so you can avoid any unexpected bills which can be a worry
• Breakdown recovery
• Battery replacement so if anything goes wrong with it, it is replaced free of charge
• Tire replacement

You don’t have to be in receipt of benefits to lease or hire a mobility scooter; some people prefer this option over purchasing and like the reassurance of a new scooter every three years (typically the lease runs for three years) without any worries about the cost of maintenance and repair if something goes wrong.

What are the other advantages of leasing or hiring?

Hiring can be a good option if you only want a mobility scooter for a short amount of time, for instance, if you are recovering from an operation or an accident. It can also be useful if you are staying away in a different part of the country where you may find the terrain more challenging than at home or if you think you might be walking for much longer periods than normal.

Some people like to hire for two or three months before committing to a purchase. It allows you to try out a scooter properly in lots of different scenarios, locations, and weather conditions before you part with your money. If you haven’t had one before, it can be difficult to fathom out all of the little glitches ahead of a purchase, so a short hire period can work well as a test drive or trial.

Hiring is different from leasing. Leasing is usually for a longer period commonly around three years, whereas a hire option can be for as short a time as one day.

Key information before you hire a mobility scooter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGO7S2GNHYw

• Check out whether the hiring company will deliver to your home or place of work or holiday location
• Ask whether you need to pay a deposit
• Find out who has the responsibility for maintaining the scooter whilst it is on hire
• Will you need to pay for the repairs if anything goes wrong?
• If there is a fault or problem, will you be able to get a replacement for the remainder of the hire period?
• What type of instruction or guidance is offered before you use the scooter, particularly if you have never used one before?

Where is the best place to hire a mobility scooter?

Mobility hire is usually available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. A quick internet search will reveal national businesses that are useful if you are staying in a different part of the country and hiring on a temporary basis, and also more local companies. Some of the big supermarkets, national truest properties, and tourist attractions will also have a pool of scooters that you can use on their sites and premises. Mobility Equipment Hire UK can arrange for scooters to be delivered to destinations in the UK and overseas, ideal for a holiday.

Worry-free independence

Hiring or leasing takes away the problem of the capital outlay to buy the scooter, and usually, repair and maintenance are all taken care of as part of the contract. You will, however, need to take reasonable care of the mobility scooter, and lease schemes might require you to keep it in a locked building when it is not in use.

You must recharge the battery and keep it charged up, and the best way to do this is to put the batteries on charge once you have finished with the scooter for the day, added Keep Moving Care . Leave them on charge until they have fully charged, and if you do this overnight, the cost of the electricity is minimal. If you are using an automatic charger, then there is no need to disconnect it before the next use.

On sale, most manufacturers will offer a 12-month warranty against faults or defects in the battery in just the same way that a car battery will have a minimum warranty period. The average life on a battery is usually closer to 18 months, but this is, of course, relative to its usage. Light usage, which would see a scooter used once or twice a week, can see a battery last for around three years. If you are leasing your vehicle, the cost of replacing the battery within the lease period should be covered by the company, but check the small print of your contract. They will require the user to look after the battery and charge the scooter correctly.

Some people will blame the battery if the scooter is not performing adequately, but there are lots of things which can affect the battery range including the weight of the vehicle, the tire pressure, the weight of the user and the external temperature – excessive heat or cold can affect battery life. For more information on mobility scooter batteries check out https://slkmobility.com/mobility-scooter-batteries/