Home improvements - disability facility grant for a private property
If you or someone living in your property is disabled (and the property is not owned by us, Barnet Council) you may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
This grant goes towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities to enable the disabled person to continue to live there.
Getting Advice.
Before you do anything it is vital that you get advice. You will need to find out:
- what adaptations are needed,
- the effects this will have on your home,
- whether or not you qualify for a grant and
- whether or not you can pay for the adaptations if any grant does not cover the whole cost.
Advice can be obtained from:
Who can apply for a DFG?
- owner occupiers
- tenants
- landlords on behalf of disabled tenants.
the applicant will have to give an 'owners certificate' or a 'tenants certificate' and will have to certify that the disabled person will occupy the dwelling as thier main residence for 5 years. Applications can be made on behalf of disabled persons.
What is a DFG available for?
It is best to obtain advice on this, but broadly a DFG must be given to enable the disabled occupant to:
- get access to and from the home
- be safe within the building
- get access to and from the living room
- get access to and from a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom
- be provided with a suitable room and facilities for a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom
- have an adequate heating system
- be able to use power, heating and lighting controls
- have the ability to move around the home in order to care for another person living there e.g. a child.
Do we have to provide a grant?
Yes, if certain conditions are satisfied:
- the work must be necessary and appropriate - usually assessed by the occupational therapist, and
- the work must be reasonable and practicable, depending on the age and condition of the property.
if we're not satisfied that these conditions are met, we can refuse the grant.
How much grant is available?
The maximum available mandatory grant is £25,000 but:
- there is a mandatory means test of the resources of the disabled person and thier partner/spouse. The means test governs whether or not a contribution to the cost of work is to be made and if so by how much. There is no means test where the disabled person is a child,
- where the cost of work is above £25,000, we may give a loan, secured on the property, for the necessary works up to a maximum of a further £20,000.
How to apply.
Contact Residential Environmental Health or Occupational Therapy.
How long does it take?
We must give you a decision within 6 months of a completed application; but when we have full information, this is usually much less.
About grant payment.
Do not do any work until you have written approval for the grant - work that is done before formal approval does not usually qualify for a grant.
The grant will be paid when the work has been completed to our satisfaction.
If work is done by the applicant or a relative, only the costs of materials will be grant aided.
The grant can be paid at the end of the work or by installments throughout. It can be paid to the applicant or the builder direct.
Further assistance
- The Care and Repair Agency can help out with the whole process. A fee is charged which can be included in the grant.
- the Houseproud scheme helps house owners over 60 or any house owner with a disabled person living with them. Houseproud can help find the finance and contractors for repairs. improvements or adaptations.
