Grants for facilities for people with disabilities

The image of adaptation Disabled Facilities Grant is available to help people living in the private sector with the cost of adapting their homes to enable them to continue living there.

This grant is for works that have been recommended as necessary and appropriate by an Occupational Therapist.

The Disabled Facilities Grant is a mandatory grant designed to help people who have disabilities to have the maximum amount of independence in their homes.

For more information about the Disabled Facilities Grant process, use the 'Frequently Asked Question' (FAQ) section below or, for a printable version, click on the 'Factsheet' link to the left of the page.

Disabled Facilities Grant FAQ

1. How do I apply?

In the first instance and for people over 19 years of age, you would need to contact the Health and Adult Social Care contact centre on 023 8083 4567 (or Jigsaw for children and young people under 19 years of age on 023 8091 5701) as an assessment will need to be carried out by an Occupational Therapist to confirm that adaptations to your property are both necessary and appropriate.

If this is the case, a referral recommending these works will be made to the Private Housing Team at the council. We will then allocate a case officer to you as soon as we possibly can in order to confirm that the works recommended are both reasonable and practicable.

Should you require any further information, please telephone Private Housing on 023 8083 2606.

2. Who is eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant?

To be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant, you need to be either registered or registerable as disabled.

You also need to be a private owner/occupier, a private tenant or a Housing Association tenant.

3. What will the grant cover?

Grant-aid is only available for works recommended by an Occupational Therapist and may include any of the following;

• Providing access to and from your home - ramping, shallow steps, and hard standings/dropped kerbs for vehicular access etc.
• Making your home safe for a disabled person living in your house -. guard rails, safety glass etc.
• Providing access to the principal family room - door widening.
• Providing access to a bedroom - providing a stair lift or extension.
• Providing access to toilet facilities - by altering bathroom layouts or providing specialist WCs.
• Providing access to bathing/shower facilities - i.e. level access shower.
• Providing access to a wash-hand basin.
• Enabling the disabled occupier to prepare and cook food – improved kitchen layout
• Improving or providing space heating or heating controls.
• Enabling the disabled occupier to use and control power, light and heat - altering the position of light switches and power sockets.
• Enabling the disabled occupier to move around the home to care for another person - i.e. enabling a disabled parent to care for a child.

4. What value grant can I get?

The actual amount of grant approved will depend on the cost of the works recommended by the Occupational Therapist.

The maximum amount of grant available is £30,000.

5. Will I have to pay anything towards the works?

All grants are subject to a Means Test to determine whether you would need to make a contribution towards the cost of works.

The means test will look at the income and capital (i.e. savings and investments) of the disabled person and their spouse or partner.

Capital of £6000 or less is disregarded

Disabled Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance are not counted as income

Where it is determined that the applicant is required to make a contribution, you will be advised of the amount of contribution before you decide to proceed.

Some benefits/allowances will passport you through the means test system.

If you receive any of the following, you will not have to contribute towards the works.

• Income Support
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (not contribution-based ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (not contribution-based JSA)
• Guarantee Pension Credit (not Savings Pension Credit alone)
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit (provided that the annual income for the purposes of assessing entitlement to the tax credit is less than £15,050)

• Parents applying for a grant for a disabled child or young person under the age of 19 will not be means tested.

6. Will I have to repay the grant?

When the works have been completed, a local charge will be registered against your property with the Councils land charges department. This will stay in place for a period of ten years.

If the property is disposed of or ownership transferred to another person before the ten years is up, you may be required to repay part of the grant. Please see the table below.

Grant amount	Amount that has to be repaid if the property is sold within 10 years
£1 to £5,000	Nil (no payment is required)
£5,001 to £15,000	The grant amount, less £5,000 (£1 - £10,000)
£15,001 to £30,000	£10,000 (the maximum charge permitted)

Contact information

If you want to contact us regarding the content of this page please contact us at:

private.housing@southampton.gov.uk
023 8083 3006
Regulatory Services (Neighbourhoods), 5th Floor, One Guildhall Square, Southampton SO14 7FP

For any other council related enquiries please contact:

enquiries@southampton.gov.uk
023 8083 3000
General Enquiries Civic Centre, SO14 7LY