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Funding for Home Improvements

By: Jennifer Lowe - Updated: 5 Jan 2024 | comments*Discuss
 
Home Improvement Paying For Renovations

Improving your home can be very costly, but if it is necessary in order to make it habitable then you may be eligible for funding.This type of funding can come in a number of different forms, such as low cost loans, grants and equity release.Your local authority has the discretion to award funding to householders to carry out essential repairs or adaptations.

Something Old, Something New

Renovation grants were introduced to provide financial assistance towards substantial repairs or improvements that need to be made to a property to make it fit for human habitation.These grants are provided at the discretion of your local authority and are means-tested. This basically means that the amount you will receive is dependent on your income, so the more you earn the less the grant will be.

There is, however, a maximum amount that can be awarded and this is £20,000 for owner-occupiers and tenants and between £10,000 and £15,000 per unit for landlords, although, this is dependent on the landlords overall plan of letting of the property.

To be eligible for the grant, the property itself must have been built more than 10 years ago, can’t be a second or holiday home and, in the case of owner-occupier applications, it has to have been occupied by you for at least three years before you make the initial grant request.

There are also some conditions to the grants being offered which have to be adhered to for 10 years by owner-occupiers and five years for landlords.If the conditions are breached at any point during this time then the grant must be repaid to the council that awarded it. This also applies if the property is sold within the condition period.

Approving Improvements

Disabled Facilities Grants are available from local councils to help pay for necessary adaptations to your home.You can apply for a Disabled Facilities grant if yourself, or someone else living in your home, is disabled, one of you either owns or is a tenant of, the property and you can certify that you, or the person who you are applying for, will occupy the property for five years.

If you are a landlord and have a disabled tenant, you can also apply for the grant to adapt the property for their use.These grants are provided by your local council and can be used to adapt your property in order to give the disabled resident freedom of movement in and around the home. This could include work such as the widening of doors, installing ramps, installing a stair lift or providing a downstairs bathroom. There is also the option to use the grant to improve facilities in the home, such as the heating system or lighting controls.

Like many other grants offered by local councils, the Disabled Facilities Grant is means-tested – based on an assessment of your financial situation. Basically, the council will look at your weekly income and essential outgoings, such as rent or mortgage payments and personal expenditure, to determine what level of the grant you will need. They also take into account your savings, which if above a certain level can have an impact on the amount you will receive.

However, if you are applying because you have a disabled child under the age of 19, then there is no need for means-testing and you will receive the full amount. If you are married, or have a partner, the council will assess your combined income, but the first £6,000 of any savings you might have is ignored.

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Hi I need help and I’m really struggling. I can’t work due to my disability and have prosthetic both limbs and my 4 year old is ill and disabled aswel and my wife can’t work aswel because she have to look after us both and the house is fully damped and it needs a bathroom downstairs aswel and can anyone please help would be grateful. The house is a mess needs fully sorting out and can’t live in that house thanks. Please please help
Zubby - 5-Jan-24 @ 8:27 AM
i am 71 and live alone onpension credits.just wondering if i can get help to fix my roof.i have noticed damp patched. please can you advice me.
babs - 28-Jul-23 @ 11:47 PM
i am 71 live alone and on pension credits. my roof needs repairing and i have damp patches. i need to get this fixed before winter, can you help.
babs - 28-Jul-23 @ 11:41 PM
Iv lost my job to illness have a mortgage and receive esa my roof is in a bad way my windows and the damo is bad downstairs i live in 1 room i need urgent repairs on chimney roof and damp ??????
Em - 15-Nov-21 @ 11:24 AM
Hello i am a single sole parent to 2 children one is disabled. I am a homeowner and i am self employed plus a carer.My local council no longer help with grants for home owners for improvements. All my windows and doors allow cold and damp in creating mould and damage to paintwork. Also on some of the handles they no longer close. Is there anything available to help replace windows please
Anna - 6-Jan-21 @ 5:57 PM
We live in Sheffield, in a inner city conservation area. Very Strict conservation rules, we have to apply to change the colour of our front door. !!! Our house is 120 years old and we need a new roof. We are also desperate to make our house more energy efficient. We sold 2 houses, (ours and my parents) in 2005. To release my parents from their mortgage. So there were 7of us and now 6, as my Dad passed away in March. Ideally we would like to put in solar panels and a new roof which is insulated. We have stone walls without a cavity. Please can you give us any advice if we are eligible for any green grants, conservation grants etc. Many thanks
Sal - 21-Nov-20 @ 1:17 PM
I am a 56 yr old woman,going through a divorce,live alone & have disabilities,I am in my own home,& my roof is leaking into my front room,the wallpaper is coming off the walls,my shower is leaking through the kitchen roof & my radiators are not working,I have contacted can the council & none of them will help,I'm on uc.thank you.
Karaoke - 10-Nov-20 @ 2:20 PM
We are a family with two young children and one with special Need We are really struggling with finance We have a leak on our roof and now Cellinig has a crack This house built 1901
Shanu - 17-Oct-20 @ 5:16 PM
Hi, We are the second owners of our bungalow. The first owner replaced the bath with a wheel-in shower, which was great until my wife became wheel-chair bound, and can no longer access the shower, as there is insufficient room for her chariot and the fixed glass wall, or even to close the "bathroom" door (which open inwards) because her chariot handles project out into the hall, so even a door opening outwards door could not be closed. I guestimate the same would apply if the bath was still in situ. Our builder has suggested knocking through thewindow wall, and extending the bathroom across the side alley, between house wall and the garage wall ... seperated by a metre wide passage,House and garage are built in matching brick, and tiles. The WC drainage and inspection chamber are not within the combined footprint. Garage and bungalow roofs are the same heigtht, but at 90 degrees ... maybe they used the same 22ft trusses? There is alternative pedestrian access from front to rear gardens. Our builder is Irish ... with a degree, and now a family friend. I'm rambling on, probably an age thing ... I was born just before WW2, and my wife was born during the Swansea Blitz. We were living in a Victorian semi-D in the East Midlands, when my wife's chronically arthritic knees made a final bid for world supremacy. We asked one of those "Second Mortgage for Wrinklies" arrangers if we could use their facilities for FIRST mortgage on a bungalow near our daughter and her family? Not a problem! It. was the easiest and fastest mortgage offer that we have ever met. 4% interest (fixed). Pay interest only, OR up to 10% of outstanding each year. We have a smallish draw-down facility (just ask) at the same 4%. Most lenders insist you finish paying for your house BEFORE you die. With Equity Release, you pay off your debt, WHEN you die. We just paid the interest only for the first two years while we recovered, but are now paying the yearly maximum allowed, of 10%, so the outstanding balance is reducing This idea may not be good for everyone, so take advice. "It is difficult to remember the prime objective is to drain the swamp, when you are up to your "arm-pits" in alligators!". Equity Release worked for us. 602 (That's the "last three" of my old RAF number.)
602 - 10-Oct-20 @ 8:02 AM
Hi i was wondering if I could get any help please. I'm a 28 year old woman living with my 2 children. Im a mum student and part time worker as and when they need me.Things haven't always been that easy through life which I dont want to go into over this as its very personal. My child is currently going through an assessment also for a disability When I first moved into my house I was working so I put all my money into it for decorating however since then I have had carpets lifted up off the stairs which are now dangerous through trip and fall hazards. I have a kitchen that is full of damp also which is being ripped out however for the damp not to come back i need an extractor hood about the oven. The walls will just be plain plaster i will have to start from scratch and all my flooring will be removed. If anyone can help please let me know
Ss - 19-Sep-20 @ 6:38 AM
I’m really struggling with living expenses I’ve got no money due to being behind on so many bills because I’ve been off with Covid. I can’t decorate my flat I’ve got no flooring in 3 rooms. I really need help. I’m only 22 and live alone, have no family and trying to hold down my caring job.
Chick - 16-Sep-20 @ 8:04 PM
I’m enquiring about a grant please I have severe ulcerative colitis which I have to have monthly infusions forAlso fybromyalgia osteoarthritis depression and had to give up work due to this due to the amount of sickness I had we ended up in an Iva although I have tried to get a loan to get what this is for but can’t as we are in an Iva Monday 14 th a new kitchen is being fitted by the housing association meaning easier accessability however ido not have Money for the built in appliances our washer dryer has blown up and the cooker I cannot use as the kitchen is allowing a built in microwave and oven we need a large fridge freezer and also integrated dish washer please I enhanced daily living component and enhanced mobility componentPersonal Independance Payment and imagraid as I tried to get loans I am late in applying can you please help we have no savings cannot get a loan and are only on an Iva because I tried to keep working which failed bismallyat due to my illness please can you help.
Shaz - 4-Sep-20 @ 5:18 PM
I’m enquiring about a grant please I have severe ulcerative colitis which I have to have monthly infusions forAlso fybromyalgia osteoarthritis depression and had to give up work due to this due to the amount of sickness I had we ended up in an Iva although I have tried to get a loan to get what this is for but can’t as we are in an Iva Monday 14 th a new kitchen is being fitted by the housing association meaning easier accessability however ido not have Money for the built in appliances our washer dryer has blown up and the cooker I cannot use as the kitchen is allowing a built in microwave and oven we need a large fridge freezer and also integrated dish washer please I enhanced daily living component and enhanced mobility componentPersonal Independance Payment and imagraid as I tried to get loans I am late in applying can you please help we have no savings cannot get a loan and are only on an Iva because I tried to keep working which failed bismallyat due to my illness please can you help.
Shaz - 4-Sep-20 @ 5:17 PM
I’m enquiring about a grant please I have severe ulcerative colitis which I have to have monthly infusions forAlso fybromyalgia osteoarthritis depression and had to give up work due to this due to the amount of sickness I had we ended up in an Iva although I have tried to get a loan to get what this is for but can’t as we are in an Iva Monday 14 th a new kitchen is being fitted by the housing association meaning easier accessability however ido not have Money for the built in appliances our washer dryer has blown up and the cooker I cannot use as the kitchen is allowing a built in microwave and oven we need a large fridge freezer and also integrated dish washer please I enhanced daily living component and enhanced mobility componentPersonal Independance Payment and imagraid as I tried to get loans I am late in applying can you please help we have no savings cannot get a loan and are only on an Iva because I tried to keep working which failed bismallyat due to my illness please can you help.
Shaz - 4-Sep-20 @ 5:13 PM
HI THERE IM 46 YRS OLD I HAD BRAIN TUMOUR 14yrs ago and I have other health problems too, being ill has put a big impact on my health, IV also gotdepression, why I'mwriting to you is that I have a lot of damp in my house.especially in the bed room I sleep in has damp in the wardrobes all my out fits got destroyed, even on the walls of my bed room n children's bedrooms I don't have enough money to get the job done plus less income, my husband's looking after me as he's my carer, & also looking after the lkids please help me ??Thankyou very much
Sal - 17-Aug-20 @ 2:58 PM
Hi I'm looking for help to repair a leaking roof in my bathroom (flat roof) I am a full time carer for my 25 year old daughter who has had a severe brain injury which has left her with no short term memory and needs 24 hour care, when it rains heavily water runs in and through the light fittings and switches, I do not have the finances to repair the roof,I have to tie the light pull switch up to prevent my daughter from using until they dry out,please could you advise me if there are any grants available to have this roof repaired or replaced before the bad weather arrives in the winter,ps I am a home owner and not a tenant. Thanks in advance ,Any advice would be appreciated, Angela.
Angie - 16-Aug-20 @ 1:09 PM
I need my driveway repaired and window frames inside and interior doors.
Maryjane - 15-Jul-20 @ 10:30 PM
we are on low in comesinceFebruary 2020 since my husband had a heart attack our bedroom ceiling has had a crack in it and we was going to get it fixed late this year once wehad saved some money but because he can't go back to work as a taxi driver and was to go back to hospital in April but because of covid 19 his appointment is in July but our ceiling has fell so could you please help
Jade - 15-May-20 @ 1:32 AM
Sorry forgot to mention I have heart failure and arthritis also depression my husband had heart attack in September I am nearly 59 my husband is 49 and we are both in poor health thank you
Vonny - 12-May-20 @ 11:27 AM
Hi I own my own home with my husband and son who is still at school, I have a problem trying to get money together I only work part time but now furlough my husband works full time but pays £560 a month mortgage so he can't afford to save anything ,I need the house repointing as it's all falling apart and also need windows replacing just the glass not the full units in all rooms except the kitchen, also my front window is dropping down so there is a gap at the top letting draft in , please can anyone help as I just haven't got the funds to do the repairs ,thank youfrom Yvonne
Vonny - 12-May-20 @ 11:23 AM
I am struggling to pay bills due to corona outbreak. Help required. I have parents to look after, whom have illnessses. Kind regards
Al babz - 28-Apr-20 @ 2:18 PM
Hello, I suffer from severe COPD and have been told I need a lung transplant. I am oxygen dependant. I live on my own, single and have no immediate family to help. My flat is in dire need of decorating, from top to toe. I only have bare floorboards and would like some carpet/flooring laid. I've lived here for over 22 years and have managed to paint etc in the past. Unfortunately now I am just unable physically to do it. I also don't have the funds to pay a tradesman.I wonder if you could give me some advice to where I can get some help. Many thanks Rebecca
Bee - 21-Dec-19 @ 4:36 PM
Hi I am not sure where to apply for some help. I have a number of disabilities that affect my daily life. I am looking for someone to help me decorate a couple of rooms in my house. I tried to do this myself but I have ended up injuring myself. I would be so grateful for some assistance. Any advice welcome ??
Booka - 3-Oct-19 @ 8:11 AM
Could anyone help my dads disabled and is having work done to house ,however I'm being left the house when he passes away ,can the council stop me moving in before I've paid grant back as one is over 30 years and hes 83 now
Kerry - 6-Sep-19 @ 11:42 AM
Hi I am A 42 year old woman : me and my 7 year old daughter have just moved into our forever home after 3 years homeless temporary accommodation. We need carpets desperately has anybody any info on grants,our council got us white goods and beds and the housing association helped with a settee
H - 21-Jun-19 @ 10:43 PM
could anybody help I am a 44yr old man I live in a 1 bedroom council flat. I suffer with mental health issues anxiety and depression, I have suicidal tendencies and self harm, I also have sleep apnia. I am disabled and can not stand on my leg for long due to an ankle fussion which i still suffer severe pain from.I am looking for help and information I was hoping that there may be a society somewhere that can help people in my position with painting and decorating round the home as I am not capable of doing it myself.I have enquired with companies but averaging at £140-£160 a day its far to expensive for me since I am only on benfits. I need the skirtings doors and radiators glossing can anybody adise me.
gaz - 12-Jun-19 @ 7:01 PM
could anybody help I am a 44yr old man I live in a 1 bedroom council flat. I suffer with mental health issues anxiety and depression, I have suicidal tendencies and self harm, I also have sleep apnia. I am disabled and can not stand on my leg for long due to an ankle fussion which i still suffer severe pain from.I am looking for help and information I was hoping that there may be a society somewhere that can help people in my position with painting and decorating round the home as I am not capable of doing it myself.I have enquired with companies but averaging at £140-£160 a day its far to expensive for me since I am only on benfits. I need the skirtings doors and radiators glossing can anybody advise me.
gaz - 12-Jun-19 @ 6:48 PM
I am looking for help to get my 2 bedrooms decorated, I have a number of health issues including fibromyalga, IBS, depression and anxiety, my daughter is my carer, my benefits got reduced recently and I'm struggling to make ends meet, before my benefits got cut I was planning to get my 2 bedrooms papered, painted, new carpets, I have lived in my flat for 18 years, the wallpaper in my bedroom is coming off the walls behind my bed and the carpet is thread bear, I can take pictures as proof. My daughters dad passed away suddenly last year and I thought getting her bedroom decorated would lift her mood, ana a TV on her wall. IF at all possible for some help we would be over the moon.
Tracy Harkness - 15-May-19 @ 7:37 PM
I am asking on behalf of my mother and father, what sort of help can they get for roof repairs and home repairs, they are both on p.i.p so they have a low income. The work needed is very much needed as leaks are coming through the roof in the house at certain parts. Thank you.
Graeme19 - 8-May-19 @ 8:15 AM
Hi I'm on p I p through illness where can I get help for small repairs to my house please
Adrienne - 27-Apr-19 @ 2:17 PM
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