Disabled Facilities Grant
Introduction
Disabled Facilities Grants are provided by Dover District
Council with the assistance of Kent County Council’s Occupational
Therapy (OT) Service and ‘In Touch’, the Dover Home Improvement
Agency.
The means tested scheme is open to all residents within the
district and is financially supported by Dover District Council. A
grant is available to anyone with a physical, mental or sensory
disability, and can be used to adapt your home so that you or a
family member can live more independently.
During the application process, and if a grant is given, you
will receive help from a number of parties. An Occupational
Therapist will help you to determine the best adaptation and
equipment; the Home Improvement Agency can provide technical
assistance, managing the contractors and workmen; and the Council
will provide and manage the funding.
Who can apply?
Applicants must be either the owner of a home or the
tenant. There is no restriction on the type of tenancy; but
we will need to contact the landlord and seek their permission for
the work to be carried out. The landlord can also apply on your
behalf. In order to protect public funds the landlord will be asked
to sign a certificate.
If you are a Dover District tenant you are still eligible for a
Disabled Facilities Grant but this work is normally funded through
the Council’s Adaptations Officer (Tel: 01304 872099).
If you or your partner is in receipt of, or is entitled to, one
of the following benefits you will receive a 100% grant.
- Income Support.
- Guaranteed Pensions Credit
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Council Tax Benefit
- Housing Benefit
- Tax Credit for those on low income
Adaptations for the benefit of children and young persons (up to
and including 18 years old) may receive a 100% grant.
The maximum grant available is £30,000, less any personal
contribution, for those works considered eligible.
The Council may place a charge on the adapted property of owner
occupiers where the grant exceeds £5,000. The charge is limited to
a maximum of £10,000 and will only be effective if the property is
sold within ten years from completion of the works. The
charge is discretionary and will be determined on a ‘case-by-case
basis’ reflecting the ‘individual circumstances of each applicant’
at the time of sale with issues of hardship etc taken into
account
What types of work are covered by the scheme?
The grants can be used to assist anyone with a physical, mental
or sensory disability.
Examples include:
- To make it easier to get in or out of your home, doorways could
be widened or ramps installed.
- To provide safety and security and supporting independence, a
room or space could be made where it is safe to leave a disabled
person unattended.
- To improve access to the room or part of the home a stairlift
could be installed if you cannot manage the stairs.
- To improve or provide a heating system suitable for the needs
of the disabled person.
- To adapt heating or lighting controls to make them easier to
use.
- To provide alternative bathing facilities if you cannot use
your bath.
- To improve access and movement around the home so that the
disabled person may provide support or care for someone else who
lives in the home.
How does the application process work?
The Council spends around £600,000 a year on Disabled Facilities
Grants, but there is a priority waiting list.
If you would like to make an initial enquiry for a grant please
contact the Private Sector Housing Team on 01304 872 397.
When applying for a grant you should expect the following
steps:
- You will be referred to the Occupational Therapist who will
make an assessment of need.
- The Occupational Therapist will then make a recommendation to
the Council who will ask you to complete a financial assessment
form.
- The Council’s Grant Officer will make a financial assessment
and advise you of your likely contribution.
- The Grant Officer will visit you and assess the urgency of your
need so that the Council can determine your priority compared to
other applicants.
- The Council will then write to you with a grant offer together
with an application form for completion.
How long might I have to wait?
Demand for these grants is high. At present we have a priority
system and applicants may have to wait 30 months from receiving the
Therapist’s recommendation to offer of assistance.
How is the building work managed?
Once a completed application is received it will be evaluated
and approved. Work cannot start until the grant has been approved
by the Council in writing. If you start the work before approval
you may lose the grant.
It is possible to manage the process yourself but we would
strongly recommend that you employ a Surveyor or the Home
Improvement Agency to manage the work. We will need two
written quotes or estimates for the work and would recommend that
the work is done by a builder who belongs to a trade organisation
which operates a guarantee scheme.
The fees charged by a Surveyor or the Home Improvement Agency
can be paid as part of the grant.
The work must be completed within one year of approval and will
be inspected by the Council’s Grants Officer, both for quality and
for compliance with the recommendations of the Occupational
Therapist.
For more information
For more information about the grant contact the Private
Sector Housing Team on 01304 872 397.
If you wish to make an application you should first contact Kent
County Council’s Occupational Therapy (OT)
Service on 08458 247 247
If you are concerned about finding your share of the cost you
may wish to discuss it with Kent County Council’s Occupational
Therapy (OT) Service. The
Home Improvement Agency may also be of help in finding
alternative funding. They can be contacted on 01268 499341.
If you find the process of adapting your home too daunting you
might wish to consider moving to another home. Most landlords
will give priority to tenants wishing to move because of a
disability issue and would normally look favourably on applications
where adaptation is difficult or impossible. In the first instance
please contact your landlord or the Council’s Adaptation Team for
advice.
If you are an owner occupier a Relocation Grant or Loan my be
available to help you move to a more suitable property.
Contact Private Sector Housing
Tel: 01304 872 397
E-mail: privatesectorhousing@dover.gov.uk
