Grants for Adapting Your Property Due to Disability

Disabled Facilities Grants are available from local councils to help pay for necessary adaptations to your home. Formed by the government, this grant enables disabled people to adapt their home so that they can continue to live there.

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.

Putting the Money to Work

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.

Put the Wheels in Motion

The first step in the process is to request that an occupational therapist come out and assess your home. This will provide you with a better idea of what adaptations you will require. Then you can start the application process. Firstly, you need to contact your local council – specifically the housing or environmental health department.

It is important to bear in mind that your application won’t be accepted if you have already started carrying out the work on your property, but the council are under obligation to notify you of the outcome of your application within six months.

Grant Eligibility Finder

Tell us what you need funding for and we will match you with the types of UK grant most likely to accept your application.

Try our Grant Eligibility Finder free, here on this site →

The Price is Right

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.

The maximum grant amount available is £25,000 for applications in England and Northern Ireland and £30,000 in Wales.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Planning

With any building work, especially if external changes are being made, planning permission or buildings regulation approval may be required. This is not included in the application for the grant and you will have to apply separately to gain any approval you might need before you start the work.

Once you have received the grant, the council can also request that you employ a qualified individual, such as an architect or a surveyor, to make sure that the work is carried out appropriately, but you can use a portion of the grant to pay for this.

How to Appeal

If you have been refused a Disability Facilities Grant by your local council don’t panic just yet, you can appeal. Each local council has an appeals and complaints procedure. If this isn’t effective, you do have the option of registering a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Grant Eligibility Finder lets you tell us what you need funding for and we will match you with the types of UK grant most likely to accept your application. Try it now →