Disabled Facilities Grants may be available to disabled people who need essential adaptation work carried out to give them greater freedom of movement and independence in and around their home.
The Disabled Facilities Grant is means tested, which means that you might have to pay some or all of the costs of adapting your home. The means test is quite complicated but this online calculator is designed to simplify it and show you how much you might have to pay. It does not include all of the questions in the full means test but will give a good indication for most people.
The maximum grant available is £30,000 subject to the means test.
Types of work covered by the grant
The type of work that is covered by a Disabled Facilities Grant includes:
- Making it easier to get in and out of the dwelling by, for example, widening doors, levelling thresholds or installing ramps, step-lifts, dropped kerbs or driveways.
- Ensuring the safety of the disabled person and other occupants by, for example, providing a specially adapted room in which it would be safe to leave a disabled person unattended, or improved lighting to ensure better visibility.
- Making access to the living room and kitchen easier.
- Providing or improving access to the bedroom, toilet, washbasin and bath (and/or shower) facilities; for example, by installing a stair lift, through floor lift, ceiling track hoist, or providing a downstairs bedroom and bathroom.
- Improving or providing a heating system in the home that’s suitable for the needs of the disabled person.
- Adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use.
- Improving access and movement around the home to enable the disabled person to care for another person who lives in the property, such as a spouse, child or another person for whom the disabled person cares.
How to apply for a grant
All Disabled Facilities Grants are subject to a means test of resources, except in the case of disabled children and those in receipt of the following:
- Housing benefit
- Pension guaranteed credit
- Universal Credit
- Income related ESA
- Income support
- Working tax credit under £16,000 a year
All applicants for Disabled Facilities Grants will be referred to have their needs assessed by an Occupational Therapist (OT) from Adults' Social Care. To be placed on their waiting list, please contact the OT Duty Desk on 01234 718006.
Housing Assistance Policy
View our Housing Assistance Policy to find out about financial assistance to improve living conditions for vulnerable residents in our community.