Aids and adaptations
Who's responsible for carrying out Disabled Facilities Grant works?
We have a dedicated Aids & Adaptations team who work closely with occupational therapists to meet the needs of tenants with disabilities. The team are able to complete any Disabled Facilities Grant works necessary on behalf of our tenants.
Will I need to complete a Disabled Facilities Grant application?
We recognise it's important to carry out requests for adaptations as quickly as possible to improve the quality of life for tenants with disabilities. To this end, we're streamlining the way in which we manage the process by cutting out a lot of the ‘red tape’. You'll no longer need to complete a Disabled Facilities Grant application form. Instead we'll take all the information we need from the occupational therapist's referral. In most cases we'll also assess whether you have to pay a contribution towards the work using the information we already have on our system, rather than carrying out a full test of your resources.
Aids and adaptations
You can watch a handy video on the process of a level access shower install, view it here
Aids and adaptations FAQs:
Grant is mandatory for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement, into and around your home and to access essential facilities within it.
Where necessary it can also provide the essential facilities themselves.
All grant applicants, except children, will be subject to the test of resources of the disabled person and their spouse or partners. This will assess how much, if anything they have to pay towards the cost of the works. The amount of grant is what is needed to meet the cost of the works over and above the applicant's contribution.
An occupational therapist needs to carry out an assessment of the needs of the disabled applicant. You can contact them through Care Direct on 0345 155 1007.
You can also speak to your GP or Care Manager for guidance.
Please note: You must not start work until a grant approval has been received as you will not receive any money for works already carried out. If works are urgent you should contact us before any work is done and let us know the circumstances. You should ensure that you separately secure any approval for building regulations or planning purposes.
Before we can give a grant we need to determine that the proposed works are:
- necessary and appropriate to meet the needs of the disabled person (the occupational therapist will visit to make this assessment)
- reasonable and practicable depending on the age and condition of the property
We can refuse the grant if we believe the scheme is not practicable.
Grant will only be paid when we are satisfied that the work has been completed in accordance with the grant approval.
Grant can only be paid on provision of an acceptable invoice, demand or receipt of payment for the works. Where the works are carried out by the applicant or a relative, only invoices for materials or services that are bought in will be acceptable.
We may pay the grant in full on completion or in some cases will pay interim payments as the work progresses.
- The applicant has to sign a certificate stating that they will occupy the dwelling as their main residence for a period of 10 years
- If the grant is greater than £5,000 it will be repayable if the disabled person moves within 10 years. The maximum amount that would be repayable is £10,000.