Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991

3 (1) The Corporation shall not be liable to make a home loss payment except on a claim made by the person entitled to it (“the claimant”) giving such particulars as the Corporation may reasonably require for the purpose of determining whether the payment should be made and, if so, its amount.

(2) Where a person is entitled to a home loss payment, the payment shall be made within the period of three months beginning with the date on which the claim is made.

(3) Where the claimant has satisfied, throughout any period, the conditions mentioned in sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 1 above, that period shall be treated for the purposes of that sub-paragraph as including any immediately preceding period throughout which—

(a) he has resided in the dwelling-house as his only or main residence but without satisfying those conditions; and

(b) another person or other persons have satisfied those conditions,

and references in this sub-paragraph and sub-paragraph (4) below to a dwelling-house include a reference to a substantial part of it.

(4) Where the claimant has satisfied, throughout any period, the conditions mentioned in paragraph 1(2) above, that period (or that period as extended under sub-paragraph (3) above) shall be treated for the purposes of paragraph 1(2) above as including any immediately preceding period, or successive periods, throughout which he satisfied the conditions mentioned in paragraph 1(2) above in relation to another dwelling-house or, as the case may be, other dwelling-houses (applying sub-paragraph (3) above to determine the length of any period or periods).

(5) Where a person (“the deceased”) entitled to a home loss payment dies without having claimed it, a claim to the payment may be made, by any person (not being under the age of eighteen years) who, throughout a period of not less than one year ending with the date of displacement of the deceased, has resided in the dwelling-house, or a substantial part of it, as his only or main residence, and is entitled to benefit—

(a) in England and Wales, by virtue of testamentary dispositions taking effect on, or the law of intestate succession or the right of survivorship between joint tenants as applied to, the death of the deceased; or

(b) in Scotland, by virtue of a testamentary disposition or any other deed with testamentary effect taking effect on, or the law of intestate succession as applied to, the death of the deceased or a right to jus relicti, jus relictae or legitim out of the deceased’s estate.

(6) Where the claimant has successively been in occupation of or resided in different dwelling-houses in the same building, being dwelling-houses consisting of a room or rooms not constructed or structurally adapted for use as a separate dwelling, paragraph 1(2) above and sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) above shall have effect as if those dwelling-houses were the same dwelling-house.

(7) Where there are two or more persons entitled to make a claim to a home loss payment in respect of the same dwelling-house (whether by virtue of joint occupation or of sub-paragraph (5) above) the payment to be made on each claim shall be equal to the whole amount of the home loss payment divided by the number of such persons.