If you are disabled and need to make changes to your property to help you live in your home, you may be able to get a disabled facilities grant (DFG).

Examples of work that could be covered by a DFG include:

• widening doors and installing ramps
• improving access to rooms and facilities, such as a stairlift or a downstairs bathroom
• providing a heating system suitable for your needs
• adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

A disabled facilities grant will not affect any benefits that you are receiving.

What you will get

How much you get depends on:

• household income
• household savings over £6,000

A grant is available up to a maximum of £30,000. Depending on your income, you may need to pay towards the cost of the work to your property.

Disabled children under the age of 18 can get a grant without their parents' income being taken into account.

You might not get any grant if you start work on your property before we approve your application.

How is the work paid for?

The contractor (and on occasion, the applicant) is paid either

• in installments, as the work progresses
• in full, when the work is finished

We will usually pay the contractor directly as the works are completed to a satisfactory standard.

Eligibility

You, or someone living in your property, must be disabled. Either you or the person you are applying for must:

• own the property or be a tenant
• intend to live in the property during the grant period (which is currently five years)

You can also apply for a grant if you are a landlord and have a disabled tenant. Tenants in social housing should contact their housing provider or association in the first instance.

We need to be happy that the work is:

• necessary and appropriate to meet the disabled person's needs
• reasonable and can be done, depending on the age and condition of the property

To be considered for a disabled facilities grant, you need to make sure you are entitled to benefit. For more information about this, please go to the GOV.UK website.

Remember, you might not get any grant if you start work on your property before we approve your application.

Planning and building regulations approval

You may need to apply separately for any planning permission or building regulations approval.

We may ask you to employ a qualified architect or surveyor to plan and oversee the work. If you get a grant, you can use it towards the cost of these fees.

How to apply

You will need to find out:

• what changes are needed to your property
• the type of work that needs to be done
• the cost of the work

In the first instance, please contact Care Direct on 0345 155 1007, who will discuss your situation further and help with the most appropriate next course of action.

An occupational therapist (via Care Direct) will usually contact you to arrange an appointment to look at your circumstances and recommend the changes needed (if applicable).

Once we have received a statement of need (the occupational therapist’s recommendation), applications are held in a waiting list in strict order of assessed clinical need and allocated as soon as possible.

Once the application has been allocated funding, we will contact you. At this point, help is available free to those applicants who would like support with completion of the necessary grant paperwork.

One of our officers will visit you to discuss the works and potential costings.

It is important to note that demand for these grants is high and that funding is limited.

Read the Better Care Fund policy