Equipment and adaptations

If you are disabled, or someone living with you is disabled, a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) may help pay for your home to be adapted.

You can apply for an adaptation as a homeowner, a tenant of a private landlord or housing association, or as a council tenant.

If you are renting your property, you must get permission from your landlord, and you may have to contribute towards the cost of the works.

Possible improvements can include:

• widening doors and installing ramps 
• improving access to rooms, by installing a stairlift for example 
• improving facilities, such as creating a downstairs bathroom 
• providing a suitable heating system 
• adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use 

A disabled facilities grant won’t affect any benefits you currently receive. 

To be eligible for a disabled facilities grant, the following must apply.

You:

• or someone who permanently lives at your property must be disabled 
• or the person you are applying for must be the homeowner or the tenant 
• intend to stay at the property for five years or more 
• can also apply for a grant if you are a landlord who intends to let the property to a disabled tenant

If you foster a disabled child long term you may be eligible to apply.

This page gives you some general information about the grant process.

All requests for home adaptations will require an assessment by an Occupational Therapist from Adult Social Care (or Children’s Social Care) to start the process.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of any step in this process, you can raise a complaint via the online form or call 01708 434000.

Step 1 - Assessment of need

The first step in the process is for your Occupational Therapist (OT) to carry out an assessment of your needs.

You should contact 01708432000 or complete a self-referral through our Ask Adult Social Care form.

If the OT assessment identifies your home may require adaptation due to your assessed needs, your OT will make a recommendation about the adaptations needed to meet your needs.  

If the OT assessment does not identify any needs that are eligible for a home adaptation, the process stops here.  

Step 2 – OT Recommendations are considered

The recommendation from the Occupational Therapist must be approved by a panel of senior managers. Their decision will be notified to you in writing.

If the panel agrees with the OT recommendations, the OT will explain the next steps.

If the panel does not agree with the OT recommendations, the process stops here.

If you are a council tenant, and the recommendation for adaptations is approved, the work can be carried out by the council.

You should speak to the OT about this, as the council can arrange and pay for the works to be completed.

You will not have to pay a contribution towards it, and the council will be responsible for maintaining and repairing the adaptation.  

You can still choose to make an application for DFG funding; however you will be subject to means testing, meaning you may have to make a financial contribution towards the cost of the works, and could be responsible for the maintenance and repairs after the warranty period.

Step 3 – Proceeding with a DFG funding application form and financial assessment

Once the recommended adaptations are agreed and you agree you want to proceed with an application for DFG funding, the OT will pass this information to the Grants Team to process.

The Grants Team will contact you directly with an application form to complete which includes a financial assessment in some cases.

You will qualify automatically for a grant without a financial assessment, if the grant is for a child or you/partner receive any of the following benefits.

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance not contribution-based ESA alone
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance not contribution based JSA alone
• Guarantee Pension Credit not Savings Pension Credit alone
• Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit where your annual income for the purposes of Tax Credits assessments was below £15,050
• Housing Benefit

If you do not receive any of the above benefits you will need to provide financial information asked for in the application pack.

The Grants Team will carry out a means test based on this financial information to see if you have any contribution to make towards the costs of the works.

You can check yourself if you are eligible for a grant using an online calculator from Foundations UK.

If you need help to complete the application form, please contact the team on 01708 434070.

Step 4 - Getting quotes

Obtaining quotes must be done using a detailed list of the work needed, known as a schedule of work.

For some types of adaptations, we will get the quotes for you. For other works, we require you to obtain them.

The schedule of work will be given to you to pass to the contractor.

We can provide you with a list of contractors, however you are entitled to find your own, provided they are suitably qualified and experienced. 

You can ask the contractor to do extra work at your own expense, but they must not include this in their quote for the grant works.

For more complex adaptations, an architect may also be needed.

Step 5 - Grant approval

We must give you a decision on your grant application within six months of receiving a fully completed application form along with any supporting documents.

Do not start work before formal approval is given. If you do you won’t be eligible for a grant.

Step 6 - Start of works

Once the grant is approved it is your responsibility to arrange for the works to start with the chosen contractor.

The contract for the works is between you and the contractor.

The grant is valid for 12 months so work must have started within this timescale.

Step 7 - Completion and payment

You will need to sign a completion certificate, confirming you are satisfied with the works.

The completion certificate and invoice should be sent to the Grants Team.

The grant will then be paid.

If you have a contribution to make, you pay this directly to the contractor once the work is complete.

An interim payment can be paid for larger works.

When any manufacturer’s warranty for the work has expired you will be responsible for the up keep of the adaptation.

Once the grant is paid, if you have any queries, you should contact the contractor who carried out the work and not the Council.

More information and help with grants

For more information about grants please call 01708 434070 or email dfg.grants@havering.gov.uk.