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Disabled Facilities
Grants
Disabled Facilities Grants are provided to enable disabled
people to adapt their homes to make them suitable for their needs.
With the exception of adaptations for disabled children, all
applications are subject to an assessment of the financial
resources of the disabled person.
Contact Us:
Telephone: (023) 9244 6670
Email: Environment Team
Visit: Civic Offices, Civic Centre Road,
Havant PO9 2AX
What are Disabled Facilities Grants for?
Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)
are mandatory grants designed to help people who have disabilities
to have the maximum amount of independence in their homes.
The grants are available to
owner-occupiers, tenants and landlords up to a value of £30,000.
The type of work that can be carried out includes;
- Facilitating access to and from
the home for example; ramps, shallow steps, hardstandings etc.
- Making the home safe for the disabled person and others living
in the house e.g. guard rails, safety glass etc.
- Facilitating access to the principal family room - e.g. by
widening doorways.
- Facilitating access to a bedroom - e.g. by providing a
stairlift or extension.
- Facilitating access to the lavatory - e.g. by altering
bathroom layouts or providing specialist WCs.
- Facilitating access to a bath or shower -e.g. by replacing
a bath with a level access
shower.
- Facilitating access to a wash-hand basin.
- Enabling the disabled occupier to prepare and cook food - e.g.
by providing low level kitchen units.
- Improving or providing space heating or heating controls.
- Enabling the disabled occupier to use and control power, light
and heat - e.g. by altering the position of light switches and
power sockets.
- Enabling the disabled occupier to move around the home to care
for another person - e.g. to enable a disabled parent to care for a
child.
Where the work will cost more than £30,000 or does not fall
within the above categories, the Council has discretion to approve
a grant and will consider such cases on their merits.
The Council works closely with Social Services in the
provision of these grants and people who wish to apply for a DFG
can access the service through either agency. It is the
responsibility of the Social Services Department to decide what
works are necessary and appropriate to the individuals needs. This
decision is based on an assessment by an Occupational Therapist
(OT). In some cases the Social Services Department will not be able
to carry out the OT assessment, in which case the grant will cover
the cost of a private OT assessment.
For owner-occupiers and tenants the grant is
normally subject to a test of resources but you do not have to be
in receipt of a means tested benefit to be able to get a grant.
There is no test of resources where the adaptations are for a
disabled child. The test of resources looks at your household
income and compares it with standard needs based on your family
size, ages, any disability etc. Any excess of income over needs is
used to calculate the amount you should be able to borrow from a
bank and this is the amount that you are expected to contribute
towards the cost of any work. If the costs are less than your
contribution then you will not receive any grant. If the costs
exceed your contribution then you will get a grant equal to the
cost of works less your contribution. Even if you do not receive
any money in grant there are circumstances when it is worth
applying and having a zero grant approved. This is because any
further works carried out within the next 10 years will take into
account the contribution which you have already made.
Grants to landlords are allocated on the
basis of the costs incurred less the increase in capital value of
the property (if any) resulting from the works. This means that in
practical terms the adaptations will not cost the landlord anything
but that he will not make a profit from them either.
If you would like further advice,
please contact Customer Services at the Civic Offices or telephone
(023) 9244 6016. Alternatively you can
email Customer
Services.
Disabled Facilities Grant
Procedure
Introduction
Under Part 1 of the Housing
Grants. Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, disabled facilities
grant are provided to assist with the cost of providing adaptations
and facilities to enable disabled persons to live at home. Local
councils can give two types of grant - Mandatory and Discretionary
Grants.
Havant Borough Council are only
able to offer Mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants.
Mandatory grants are for
essential adaptations to facilitate access to and around the home
and to access essential facilities within it. Some of the types of
work which may be eligible are:
- To make it easier to get into and out of the dwelling by, for
example, widening doors and installing ramps:
- To make access easier to the living room, kitchen, bedroom,
bathing and toileting facilities by, for example, widening doors
and providing a stairlift:
- To adapt the existing bathing facilities to enable easier
access by, for example, forming a flush floor shower.
This list is not exhaustive, for
further advice contact your local Social Services department or
Environmental Health at Havant Borough Council.
Test of Resources (Means Test)
All grants, with the
exception of adaptations for disabled children, are subject to a
Test of Resources (Means Test) to ensure that grant goes to the
most needy households. Certain income related benefits such as
Income Support will passport the applicant through the normal Test
of Resources system. The applicant's contribution (if
any) toward the cost of the eligible works will be determined by a
means test which will look at the income and capital of the
disabled person and their spouse or partner. The test calculates
the disabled persons average weekly income, taking account of any
capital above £6000.00 (Disabled Living Allowance and Attendance
Allowance are not counted as income and certain other sources of
income may be partially disregarded).This is set against an
assessment of basic needs, which are recognised by a range of
premiums and allowances.
If the disabled person's
resources are less than this assessment, then they will not
normally need to contribute to the cost of the work.
If the disabled persons resources
are more than the assessment, then a proportion of their income
will be used to calculate the size of the loan they can afford to
finance the works. This "affordable" loan is then deducted from the
cost of the eligible work and grant will be given to cover the
remaining cost, up to a maximum grant of £30,000.
Conditions of Grant
Grants are subject to certain
conditions:
- In the case of grants in
excess of £5000 being paid to owner occupiers, if the property is
disposed of within 10 years of the date of completion of the works,
then the Council may demand the repayment of such part of the grant
that exceeds £5000 (but may not demand an amount in excess of
£10,000). This condition is a local land charge and is binding on
any person who is for the time being an owner of the property.
- It is a condition of
grant that the eligible works are carried out by one of
the contractors whose estimates accompanied the application.
However, when a grant is approved it is based on the lower of two
estimates submitted with the application. If the
applicant chooses to employ the other contractor, the applicant
will have to pay for the extra cost involved.
- The eligible works must
be carried out to the satisfaction of the Council.
- The
Council must be provided with an acceptable invoice,
demand or receipt for payment for the works and any preliminary or
ancillary services or charges in respect of which the grant or part
of the grant is to be paid.
Applying for a grant
Initially, all applicants are
advised to contact Hampshire County Council Social Services
Occupational Therapy Service, at Social Services Direct,
Occupational Therapy, Glen House, Glen Road, Swanwick, S031 7HD.
Tel:- 0845 6004555 (local rate). Arrangements are then made for a
medical assessment to take place. If Social Services feel a
Disabled Facilities Grant is an option they will contact
Environmental Health at Havant Borough Council to arrange a joint
visit. The initial joint visit is arranged as soon as possible,
usually within 6 weeks of the Occupational Therapist(O.T.)'s
contact with Environmental Health.
Initial Visit
At the initial visit the Grant
Officer will carry out a provisional means test based on the
information provided by the applicant. The O.T. will discuss the
adaptations required to meet the applicants needs. If considered
practicable and reasonable, the Grant Officer will assess if the
works are eligible for a grant. This will then be discussed with
the applicant. If the applicant wishes to proceed, the O.T. will
then write to Environmental Health to recommend the required work
that is essential to meet the applicant's needs. From receipt of
this recommendation Environmental Health will write to the
applicant, normally within 6 weeks with all the relevant
application forms and instructions to apply for the grant.
Application Forms
Environmental Health staff will
help the applicant complete the grant application forms if
requested. The application process will vary depending upon the
applicants position; for example, if the applicant is a tenant of a
Social Landlord e.g. Portsmouth City Council or Hermitage Housing
Association, their landlord may restrict which builders can carry
out works in their properties. Environmental Health will advise the
applicant on how to apply in their particular circumstances. An
application does not become valid until Environmental Health are in
receipt of fully completed application forms, estimates and other
relevant items.
Starting Work
NO WORK FOR WHICH GRANT
IS BEING SOUGHT MAY BE COMMENCED UNTIL THE APPLICANT HAS BEEN
NOTIFIED IN WRITING THAT THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN
APPROVED.
Engaging an Agent
The applicant can employ an agent
to help with the grant application, obtaining estimates and
supervising the works; reasonable costs for acting as agent will be
eligible for grant assistance if a grant is approved.
Standard of Work
Grants are based on the cost of
adapting the property in the most economic way in accordance with
the requirements of the Scheme. Applicants wishing to carry out
works more extensive or to a higher standard than those allowed for
may do so but the grant will be based on the notional cost of the
basic scheme.
Building Regulation
and Planning Approvals
Approval of the grant does not
constitute or imply approval under the Building Regulations or Town
and Country Planning Acts, which may need to be applied for
separately. It may be that the work proposed does not warrant
formal application but the applicant should check beforehand.
Enquiries and applications regarding Building Regulation Approval
should be made to the Head of Building Control, and enquiries and
applications regarding Planning Consent should be made to the Head
of Planning, Havant Borough Council, Civic Centre, Civic Centre
Road, Havant, Hants PO9 2AX Telephone (023) 9247 4174.
Engaging a contractor
The applicant is responsible for
choosing builders to quote for the required works. Environmental
Health can supply a list of contractors but there is no obligation
on the part of grant applicants to restrict themselves to those
listed. The contractors listed have all carried out grant work
previously and those applicants who employed them were happy with
their work. However, the Council cannot "recommend" any particular
contractor and cannot be deemed to be liable for any failing on the
part of any of the contractors listed.
The applicant should check that
the builder has third party liability insurance and check with
their own insurance company as to their own cover and
liabilities.
The applicant must use one of the
contractors who supply the estimates which form part of the
application. The grant paid will be based upon the lowest estimate
submitted. If the applicant uses the builder submitting the higher
estimate, the applicant will be responsible for paying the price
difference.
Approval
From receipt of a valid
application and all necessary information H.B.C. will give a
decision in writing as quickly as possible and in all cases within
6 months.
Supervision of the works
THE APPLICANT IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPERVISION OF THE WORK, although
visits may be made from time-to-time by officers of the Council. If
one has been engaged by the applicant, an agent can oversee the
works.
Payment of the Grant
Interim grant payments can be
arranged as the works progress where appropriate. Grant monies
cannot be paid before works commence and at no stage will grant be
paid to a sum higher than the assessed value of the works
completed, or 90% of the approved grant, whichever is the lower. To
request an interim payment, the applicant will be required to sign
an Application for Payment of Grant Form, confirming that the works
up to that point have been completed to his/her satisfaction.
Upon completion of the works the
applicant will be required to sign an Application for Payment of
Grant Form, confirming that the works have been completed to
his/her satisfaction.
Grant will only be paid when the
Council is satisfied that the work has been completed to their
satisfaction and in accordance with the grant approval. Grant can
only be paid on provision of an acceptable invoice or receipt.
Applicants usually prefer the Council to pay grant directly to the
contractor.
In case of difficulty
The above guidance outlines the
main provisions of the Disabled Facilities Grant scheme. Applicants
experiencing any difficulties or in any doubt at any time should
contact the officer dealing with their application.
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Environmental Health
Havant Borough Council
Civic Offices
Civic Centre Road
HAVANT PO9 2AX
Tel. (023) 9244 6670
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In Touch
47-57 High Street
Westend
Southampton
SO30 3DQ
Tel (023) 8046 2444
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Hampshire County Council
Social Services Direct
Occupational Therapy
Glen House
Glen Road
Swanwick
SOUTHAMPTON SO31 7HD
Tel. 0845 6004555
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Age Concern
The Centre
Fraser Road
HAVANT
Tel. (023) 9248 4098
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