Disabled Facilities Grants of up to £30,000 are available from the council to help pay for adaptations that improve access to a property, to the garden and around the home. They can also cover the cost of bathing and toilet facilities.
It is important that building works should not start until the grant has been approved by the council.
If the works cost more than £30,000, require you to move home, or can be easily remedied without the need for builders, please contact us for advice.
Our friendly and experienced staff at the Home Improvement Agency can advise you on the best facilities to meet your individual needs.
Our caseworker from the Home Improvement Agency will visit you in your home to make an initial assessment and advise you about your eligibility for a grant.
You will need to get a recommendation for the works from an occupational therapist. There is a waiting list for this, and you will be prioritised according to urgency.
Once their recommendation has been received, it will go before a panel to decide if this meets the funding criteria.
We will need to know details of any income or savings you have, to understand how much you will need to contribute, if anything, towards the costs of the works. A caseworker will visit your home to carry out a preliminary investigation and advise you of the costs.
Applications for works to be carried out for children are not means tested.
You can find out if you qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant by completing our online preliminary test of resources form. The results will only be sent to the email address you provide.
You will need to provide at least 2 estimates from builders of the cost to carry out the work. The amount of grant approved will be based on the cheapest estimate.
If you need help finding a builder you can obtain a builders list from the Home Improvement Agency. These builders are not recommended but have carried out work for the agency before.
Where the applicant or a member of the family proposes to carry out the work themselves, rather than through the Home Improvement Agency, we will cover reasonable costs for materials, subject to suitable invoices or receipts. Labour costs will not be covered in these circumstances.
We encourage applicants to have works project managed by, and delivered through, the Home Improvement Agency. A fee for this service is charged and will usually be included in the grant award.
You are of course welcome to oversee the works yourself. Please note that any contracts are between yourself and the builder.