What this tool does

This tool works out which routes are open to you when your home needs work: grants and discretionary help from the council, adaptation funding where someone is disabled, energy schemes for heating and insulation, and, if you rent, the repairs your landlord is legally obliged to carry out. It tells you which are rights and which are discretionary, because that changes how you go about it.

It is a starting point, not an application and not a promise of funding.

When to use it

Use it if you have damp or mould you cannot get dealt with, a boiler or heating system that has failed, a cold home you cannot afford to heat, or a house that needs adapting because someone is disabled or getting older. It is just as useful for renters as for owners: many people go looking for a grant when what they actually need is to make their landlord do the repair, and the tool will tell you which situation you are in.

It suits people on a low income or on means tested benefits best, because most of the help that exists is tied to those.

How it works

You tell it what the problem is, whether you own or rent, whether anyone in the household gets means tested benefits, whether anyone is disabled or over 60, and which nation you live in. It then sets out the routes worth pursuing in your case and explains what each one involves, who to contact and what to expect. Because most repair funding is decided locally, the answer will often point you at your council rather than at a national scheme.

Nothing you enter is saved, and you do not need to give your name or email to use it. Schemes, thresholds and eligibility rules change regularly, so confirm the detail with your council or on GOV.UK before relying on it.