Disabled Facilities Grant and Housing Assistance Policy

A Disabled Facilities Grant is a sum of money given by the Council to help homeowners, tenants, and occupiers of park homes with the cost of carrying out adaptations to their home, if you or someone you live with has a disability.

The type of works that can be considered include:

• installation of a stairlift or through floor lift
• installation of a level access shower to replace a bath
• installation of an access ramp
• widening of doorways to give wheelchair access

Works can only be carried out to the main residence of the disabled person.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, a person must be registered or be eligible to be registered as disabled under the Care Act 2014 or the Children's Act 1989.

The adaptations must be recommended by an Occupational Therapist as being ‘necessary and appropriate’ to meet the needs of the disabled person.

The Council’s Grants and Adaptations Team will assess what work is eligible for funding based on the recommendations.

Unless the work is for a dependent child or young person, the grant is ‘means-tested’ (see below) to ensure that it is given to those who are least able to afford to pay for adaptations.

If you are in receipt of one of the following benefits, you will automatically qualify for a grant:

• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Guarantee Pension Credit
• Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income based Employment Support Allowance
• Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit where annual income is less than £15,050

If you are not in receipt of one of these benefits, we will need to know how much income you receive and what savings you have. You may be eligible even if you have more than £16,000 of savings (joint savings if you are a couple). Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance are ignored when calculating income.

Your weekly income is compared to a ‘threshold amount’. This is the amount that the government has assessed someone in your circumstances is able to live on each week.

If your income is more than the ‘threshold amount’ you will be asked to pay towards the cost of the work. In some cases, you will be expected to pay the full cost of the work, and no grant will be paid.

The table outlines the main stages of the grant application process, which starts once the Council’s Grants and Adaptations Team has received a recommendation from the Occupational Therapist.

The Council will prepare a schedule - a detailed list - of the work which is eligible for grant aid. We will consider the least expensive way of meeting the assessed needs, when deciding what work is eligible for the grant. You will then need to give the schedule to a builder or contractor to provide a quotation.

The Council will decide how much money you will need to carry out the recommended works. In most cases, this will be based on the lowest quotation that you submit with your application.

We will deduct any contribution you are assessed as being able to afford under the means test.

The maximum mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant that may be paid is £30,000.

If the cost of the work is greater than £30,000, you may be able to apply for a discretionary ‘top up’ of up to £20,000, but this has to be paid back when you sell the property.

The following fees and charges may be eligible for assistance within the maximum grant calculation:

• fees in connection with provision of Proof of Title
• specialist contractor’s fees in relation to information required in support of an application - this may include Gas Safe or Electrical Contractors report fee, a structural Engineer’s fee etc.
• the fees of an architect or surveyor or other services for preparing drawings, detailed specification and overseeing the works
• any other fees and charges which are agreed by the Council to be eligible

If you are claiming a qualifying benefit, we will ask for proof that you are in receipt of the benefit.

Otherwise, we will ask to see proof of your income and savings as part of the application process. We will make an appointment with you to do this and will let you know what documents we need to see.

We may also ask you to provide copies of documents as proof of income and savings.

If you have a contribution under the means test, you will need to pay this amount towards the cost of the work. We will advise you in writing of your contribution so that you can decide whether you want to proceed.

The grant will not cover works of decoration or items which are not considered essential to meet the assessed need.

If the work has started before the grant is approved (but has not been completed) the grant will exclude any work which has already been completed.

The Council does not have a list of approved contractors and cannot recommend anyone to do the work. The Council may be able to put you in touch with local builders, if you are unable to do this yourself, but please note that you will be the employer for the purposes of any contract with the contractor.

The work must be carried out by one of the contractor’s whose quotation was submitted with your application.

You can only start the work once you have received a Grant Approval Notice from the Council’s Grants and Adaptations Team. You should not start the works until this is received.

If the work is completed in full before the grant is approved, the grant cannot be paid.

The Council must make a decision (i.e. approve or refuse) your application within six months of receiving a full application for a grant.

A full application is one which includes a completed and signed application form, at least two quotations for the relevant works, a statement of any fees to be included in the application, proof of income or benefit, proof of ID and address, any joint owner or landlord consent, any planning permission or building regulation approval.

In order to manage the demand for grant funds, the Council may issue your approval with a condition that payment of the grant cannot be made until a future date up to 12 months from the date of approval. Priority will be given to those with the most urgent needs, as identified by an Occupational Therapist.

In certain circumstances a grant up to the value of the estimated cost of providing an adaptation can be used to contribute towards an alternative scheme. In any such case the following criteria must be met:

· The proposed alternative scheme must meet the disabled person’s needs as assessed by the Occupational Therapist and put forward in the original recommendation.

· The Council must be satisfied that the applicant has sufficient financial resources to complete the alternative scheme, including a contingency sum of 10% of the total cost of works to account for any unforeseen works.

· The Council reserves the right to seek an alternative estimate where those provided by the applicant seem either excessive or inadequate.

· The Council shall certify their satisfactory completion of the works. The applicant is responsible for any additional costs of designing the alternative scheme and for obtaining building regulation approval and/or planning permission where necessary.

· The Council will only pay an amount equal to the cost of the works originally recommended by the Occupational Therapist. The Council will not pay for the DFG approved works until all works have been completed and certified as satisfactory by the Council.

· The Council’s payment shall be the final part payment made towards completion of the alternative scheme and will not be paid until the Council receives confirmation from the contractor that all other monies owing have been paid in full by the applicant. Payment will be subject to the Council inspecting the works and certifying the scheme as fully completed to its satisfaction (inside and out).

· The alternative scheme must be completed within 12 months of the DFG being approved, unless a written request for an extension to the time limit is received within 6 weeks of the 12-month period expiring. Extension to the mandatory time limit for completion of the works will be at the discretion of the Council and the applicant should not assume that such a request will be agreed.

· Where the alternative works are not completed within the 12-month time period allowed and where the Council has not received a written request to extend this period, the DFG will be void.

· No variation of the approved DFG will be made for any additional unforeseen works; all such costs are to be borne by the applicant.

· If, for whatever reason, during the course of the works, the need for them ceases, the DFG will not be paid in full.

Essential works which become evident during the course of the contract may be treated as unforeseen works providing the following criteria are met:

• Works are eligible for grant assistance, and they could not have reasonably been foreseen;
• You and your contractor agree a price for the unforeseen work, and
• A quote is provided to the Council for the work – this must be approved by the Council prior to the work being undertaken.

The reasonable cost of undertaking agreed unforeseen works will be added to your grant, subject to the current grant limit. The grant cannot include works undertaken without prior approval.

If unforeseen works are agreed, the grant will be re-approved to reflect the revised costs and we will provide you with an explanation for the change to the grant amount.

The grant will only be paid once the works have been completed. For larger jobs, payments can be made as the works progress.

Before making the payment, the Council will need:

• To inspect the works, to check that the agreed works have been completed
• An invoice from the contractor
• Confirmation that the work complies with Building Regulations (where relevant)
• An electrical certificate (where relevant)

The grant will normally be paid directly to the contractor, but the Council will ask you to confirm that you are happy with the work before making the payment.

The works must be completed within 12 months from the date the grant is approved.

Where a dispute arises regarding the standard of a contractor’s workmanship, the Council will withhold payment to the contractor until the works have been completed satisfactorily in the professional opinion of the Council.

Where works are deemed to meet the Council’s approval, but the grant applicant is not satisfied the Council will not unreasonably withhold payment to the contractor.

No. The grant is for the installation of the facility only and cannot cover future maintenance costs or the removal of the facility if it is no longer needed.

If you are a social housing tenant, some landlords will maintain the facility once the installer’s guarantee period has ended.

There are certain cases where we may not be able to provide assistance or where the funding may be reduced or reclaimed. These situations are outlined below:

1. Assistance cannot be provided when there is a dispute over property ownership.
2. If the property owner(s) have a legal obligation to carry out the necessary works and it is reasonable for them to do so, we may not offer assistance.
3. Assistance is not typically provided for temporary residences.
4. Normally, we cannot give assistance for works that were started before formal approval of the application. However, in exceptional circumstances, we may exempt an application from this condition, such as when a defect poses serious risks to health and safety.
5. We do not provide grant assistance for works covered by insurance. If an applicant can make an insurance claim, the assistance amount will be reduced by the insurance company’s liability. We will require the applicant to pursue relevant insurance claims and repay the assistance provided if applicable.
6. We will only offer assistance if the property’s age, condition, and structural layout make it feasible to achieve the required scope of works.
7. The Council will assess the prices provided by contractors to ensure value for money, comparing them with similar jobs priced within the last year.
8. If we find that the price quoted by contractors is too high, we may advise the client that the total eligible assistance will be the lower amount.
9. If the client chooses a different or enhanced scheme of works, we will only provide financial assistance for the primary requirements identified by the Occupational Therapy Service or a similar service.
10. We may refuse an application lacking required information or documentation.
11. Deviating from the approved scheme of works without prior agreement may lead to the approval being rescinded or further payments of assistance being refused.
12. If the applicant ceases to be the owner of the property before the works are completed, they must repay the total amount of assistance received.
13. A grant condition imposing a liability to repay assistance may be registered as a Local Land Charge, payable upon the property’s sale.
14. Works must be completed within 12 months of approval, with a possible extension of up to 6 months if agreed by the Council.
15. For common parts of a dwelling, assistance will only cover the applicant’s reasonable share of the liability.
16. In exceptional cases, the Council may defer payment of a Disabled Facilities Grant for up to 12 months.
17. Assistance may be provided for caravans and houseboats used as main residences, subject to eligibility requirements. Holiday residences, caravans on holiday sites, second homes, and sheds or outbuildings do not qualify for assistance.
18. If there are unique situations where individuals genuinely need urgent support but are precluded from accessing assistance due to specific aspects, the Council may consider offering assistance in exceptional circumstances, especially if it helps meet strategic objectives. Such decisions will be made by the Grants and Adaptations Manager. In situations where the value of the works is above £50,000 and comprised of the maximum amount of mandatory and Top Up DFG, the decision will be made by the Service Director for Housing and Strategy.

Sometimes. Where the grant applicant is the owner of the property, the Council will put a local land charge on the property requiring part of the grant to be repaid.

For grants of up to £30,000, if the property is sold (or transferred) within ten years of the works being completed, any amount of grant above £5,000 is repayable, but you will not be required to repay more than £10,000 per grant application.

Any discretionary funding over £30,000 must be repaid on disposal of the property at any time in the future, in addition to the above.

The Council must be satisfied that it is reasonable to demand repayment having regard to the circumstances of the sale.

Repayment conditions do not apply to tenants or occupiers of mobile homes.

Further information about the Disabled Facilities Grant can be found at:

Housing grants and loans | Buckinghamshire Council

https://careadvice.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/occupational-therapy/

Disabled Facilities Grants: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

https://adaptmyhome.org.uk