Disabled Facilities Grants & Home Repair Assistance
Disabled Facilities Grants
Who is entitled
If you or a member of your household is disabled they may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant towards the cost of providing facilities or adaptations to enable the disabled person to continue to live in their own homes.
In the first instance you should contact the Social Care and Health Service who will arrange for an Occupational Therapist to carry out an assessment of your needs.
What type of work can be considered?
A grant is mandatory for essential adaptations to give the disabled person better freedom of movement around their home and to access essential facilities. The types of work covered are:
- To enable easier access in and out of the home
- To make access easier to the living room
- To ensure the safety of the household by providing a specially adapted room
- Providing or improving access to the bedroom, kitchen, toilet, bathroom facilities for example by providing a downstairs extension or by providing a stair lift
- To improve or provide heating to the home which is suitable for the needs of the disabled person.
- To adapt heating or lighting controls for easier use
- Improve access or movement around the home to enable the disabled person to care for another person who lives in the home.
Are there limits to the grant?
The maximum mandatory grant is £25,000. Any works in excess of £25,000 are subject to referral to the Council's Housing and Social Care & Health Panel.
Will I have to contribute to the cost?
The amount of grant you receive will depend on your income and savings.
To work out your contribution, if any, we will need to ask a number of questions about your earnings, other income and savings. When we interview you, please have proof of your earnings, savings, benefits and so on.
How do you work out my contribution?
When you apply for a grant, a test of resources will be carried out (a means test) which is an income assessment of your finances. We will include most benefits but we will ignore savings up to £6000.
The amount of your grant will depend on your income, savings and responsibilities. This means that your share of the cost may range from nothing at all to the full cost of the work.
What if I sell my property after I receive a grant?
You will not have to pay the grant back.
How will the assessment be done?
An assessment of the disabled person's needs will be carried out by an Occupational Therapist. This recommendation will then be passed to a Grant's officer who will then carry out a test of resources and assess the feasibility of the recommendation.
Home Repair Assistance
Who is entitled to a grant?
If you have lived in your home as an owner- occupier or a tenant for three years and it fails to meet certain standards and are in receipt of an income related benefit you may be entitled to a grant for small scale repairs i.e. to make your home wind and watertight.
If you are elderly, infirm or disabled you do not have to satisfy the three-year qualifying period.
What is the main condition?
The property has to be unfit for people to live in so trained officers must carry out a detailed inspection.
What type of work can be considered?
Such works include:
- securing the basic fabric of the property from the entry of wind or rain
- protecting the occupants from immediate exposure to danger
- insulation
- replacement of lead pipe
- repairs to windows and doors
- crime prevention measures
Are there limits to the grant?
Home repair assistance is intended or small-scale works with assistance limited to £4000 per application.
Will I have to contribute to the cost?
No, applicants will receive 100% of the cost of the eligible works up the maximum of £4000.
What if I sell my property after I receive a grant?
If you sell your house within five years of receiving a grant, you will have to repay the whole amount. We will give you details of the grant conditions when we approve the grant.
In the case of the elderly, disabled or infirm this condition may be waived at the discretion of the Council depending on the circumstances of the sale.
The priority system
Priority is assessed in the same way as Renovation Grants for repairs. When a referral has been made via an Occupational Therapist the application will be dealt with in the same manner as a Disabled Facilities Grant.
