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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