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We provide Disabled Facilities Grants with the assistance of Kent County Council’s (KCC) Occupational Therapy Service and the Home Improvement Agency.
The grant is open to any residents within the district with a physical, mental or sensory disability and can be used to adapt your home so you or a family member can live more independently.
Watch our video for more information.
Who can apply?
To apply, you must be the homeowner or the tenant. There are no restrictions on the type of tenancy, but we must contact your landlord for permission before any work can be carried out. The landlord may also apply on your behalf.
You will not be means tested if you or your partner receives, or is entitled to, any of these benefits:
Income Support
Universal Credit
guaranteed Pensions Credit
income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
housing benefit
tax credit for those on low income
You are not means tested if the adaptations are for the benefit of children and young persons (up to and including 18 years old).
Even if you think that your income is too high, please contact us as we may be able to help with one of our other grants.
Check if you're eligible and how much you could receive.
Before you can be considered for a Disabled Facilities Grant, you will need to contact KCC's Occupational Therapy Service for an assessment of your needs.
Either fill in the self-assessment form or contact them on the details below.
Once your assessment is complete, the occupational therapist will send us their recommendations and we will get in touch with you.
More on the Disabled Facilities Grant
The maximum grant you can receive is £30,000, minus any personal contribution, for eligible works. Other grants may also be available.
For owner‑occupiers, we may place a charge on the property if the grant is more than £5,000. This charge is limited to a maximum of £10,000 and only applies if the property is sold within five years of the works being completed. The charge is discretionary and decided case‑by‑case, taking individual circumstances, such as hardship, into account when considering repayment.
The grant can be used to assist anyone with a physical, mental or sensory disability.
Examples include:
making it easier to get in or out of your home, for example by widening or installing ramps
creating a safe space where a disabled person can be left unattended
improving access within the home, such as installing a stair lift
providing or upgrading a heating system to meet the disabled person’s needs
adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use
installing alternative bathing facilities if a bath cannot be used
improving access and movement around the home so the disabled person can support or care for someone else living there.
When applying for a grant you should expect the following steps:
you will be referred to an occupational therapist, who will assess your needs
the occupational therapist will send us their recommendations and we’ll ask you to complete a financial assessment form
our grant officer will assess your finances and let you know your likely contribution
the grant officer will visit you to assess how urgent your needs are and determine your priority
we will then write to you with a grant offer and an application form to complete.
We don’t have a waiting list for grants, but we do need a recommendation from KCC's occupational therapist, along with your application, before we can give an estimate of time.
Once we receive your completed application, it will be evaluated. Work must not start until the grant has been approved by us in writing. Starting early may mean you lose the grant.
You may manage the process yourself, but we strongly recommend using a surveyor or a Home Improvement Agency.
You must provide us with two written quotes for the work and we suggest choosing a builder who is part of a recognised trade body which operates a guarantee scheme.
Fees charged by a Home Improvement Agency can be paid as part of the grant.
All work must be completed within one year of approval and will be inspected by us, to check quality and ensure it meets the occupational therapist’s recommendations.
In cases where a property cannot be suitably adapted with a Disabled Facilities Grant, and moving home offers better value for money, a Disabled Relocation Grant of up to £20,000 may be offered.
