Apply for a disabled facilities grant

If you or someone in your family is disabled, you can apply for a disabled facilities grant to help pay for essential adaptations to your home.

 

Who can apply

You can apply for a grant if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home. For example, if you:

• are physically disabled
• have a learning disability
• have age-related needs
• are autistic
• have a cognitive impairment, like dementia
• have a progressive condition, like motor neurone disease
• have a terminal illness
• have a mental health condition

You must live in a home that:

• you or someone you live with owns
• is rented from a private landlord (your landlord must provide written permission or apply on your behalf)
• is rented from a housing association (they can also apply on your behalf)

You can only get a grant for adaptations to your main or only home.

You must stay in the home for 5 years after the work is completed.

If you receive a grant of more than £5,000 and sell your home within 10 years of the work being completed, you may need to repay some of the grant.

How to apply

First, you need to request an occupational therapy assessment. This is so that we can assess your needs.

To request an assessment you can either fill in our ‘Request adult social care support’ form or call 020 8356 6262.

When you fill in the form, you should:

1. select ‘occupational therapy’ when it asks ‘What type of support do you need?’
2. explain what adaptations you need to your home when it asks ‘What support do you need from occupational therapy?’

You’ll need to give information about your:

• health and mobility needs
• daily activities

If you’re 19 or under

If you’re 19 or under, contact Hackney Ark to request an occupational therapy assessment on 020 7014 7025.

How much money you can get

The most money you can get is £30,000.

How much money you need to contribute

You might need to pay towards the cost of your adaptations, depending on:

• how much the adaptations cost
• your income
• your savings and investments
• any benefits you get
• your age

If the adaptations cost less than £20,000

If your adaptations cost less than £20,000, you will not need to pay anything towards the cost. We will not take into account your income, savings, or benefits.

If the adaptations cost more than £20,000

If your adaptations cost more than £20,000 and you claim any of the following benefits, you will not need to pay anything towards the cost:

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Guarantee Pension Credit
• Working tax credit or child tax credit (if your annual income for the purposes of the tax credits assessment was below £15,050
• Housing Benefit

If you don’t get any of these benefits, you might need to pay something towards the cost.

To work out how much you might need to pay, you will need to complete a means test.

For the means test, we will ask you about:

• your income
• your savings and investments
• any benefits you receive

For an estimation of what you might need to pay, you can use our self-assessment estimation tool.

If the adaptations cost more than £30,000

If the cost of the work is more than £30,000, you might be able to get a top-up grant of up to £10,000. This depends on your income, savings and benefits.

If you’re 19 or under

You do not need to pay towards the cost of the adaptations or complete a means test for anyone aged 19 or under.

What you can use the grant for

You can use your grant for any home adaptations that your occupational therapist recommends for you.

This can include:

• through-floor lifts
• stair lifts
• ceiling track hoists
• wet rooms (also known as ‘wet floor showers’)
• specialised toilets
• wider doors for wheelchair access
• external ramps

What happens after you’ve applied

We’ll send you a letter to let you know if your grant has been approved. Adaptations to your home can only begin once the grant has been approved.

We will not pay for any work that’s started before we approve your grant.

Once your application has been approved, all adaptations need to be completed within 12 months.

Who does the adaptation works

We can arrange an experienced contractor for you. Before visiting your home, the contractor will contact you.  

If you want to organise the works yourself, you can use the Foundations Home Adaptations Installer Network website to find a contractor.

If you’re a council tenant

First, request an occupational therapy assessment. This is so that we can assess your needs.

To request an assessment you can either fill in our ‘Request adult social care support’ form or call 020 8356 6262.

You will not need to pay anything towards home adaptations.

More information about the disabled facilities grant

For more information about the grant, you can read:

• Introducing disabled facilities grants (DFGs) (Google Doc)
• Key disabled facilities grant (DFG) conditions (Google Doc)
• Hackney’s home adaptations and repairs grants (Google Doc)
• Minor adaptation and hospital discharge grants (Google Doc)
• DFG test of financial resources (means test) for low-income owner-occupiers (Google Doc)

If you want to read the full home adaptations and repairs policy, contact the DFG Home Adaptations Service.