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How to apply for home adaptations
NEED help and advice deciding on vital home adaptations due to disability? Read on . . .
Disabled Facilities Grants are awarded by local councils if they judge your home needs adapting and that the work is both reasonable and practical.
You can apply whether you are a homeowner or tenant but need to be able to show you intend to occupy the premises as your main or only home throughout the grant period, currently five years.
A landlord can apply on behalf of their tenant.
DFGs can be used to pay for work such as widening doorways and installing ramps for wheelchair access; improving or installing a suitable heating system; altering heating or lighting controls; providing access to bathroom facilities, either by means of a stairlift or a new ground floor bathroom; and improving access to and around the home.
An occupational therapist will visit your home to assess your needs and the adaptations.
How much is a DFG?
The amount you get will vary, depending on your income, any savings, and what the council assesses as reasonable financial outgoings (actual expenditure is not considered). Applications for people under 19 will not be means-tested this way.
Savings under £6,000 are disregarded. If you have a partner, your joint income is assessed. Some benefits like Income Support and Disability Living Allowance are also disregarded. The amount of grant could be anywhere from zero to 100% of the work.
The maximum amount councils are obliged to pay is £30,000 in England, and £36,000 in Wales. They have discretion to pay more.
How do you apply?
Contact your councl housing department and ask for an application form. Don’t start work before you are awarded your grant. The council must give you a decision within six months of the date you apply. If the works are major, you will also need to apply for planning permission and/or building regulations approval.
The grant may either be paid in full when the work has been satisfactorily completed, or in instalments at agreed stages.
Most grants go to owneroccupiers (61%), followed by those in social housing (32%) and private rented accommodation (7%).
The average grant is £7,255, with 58% at £5,000 or less.