Disabled Facilities Grants
Help with Home Repair and Adaptation
What is a disabled facilities grant (DFG)?
We provide grants, up to the sum of £30,000 per applicant, to help disabled people in private sector housing to carry out essential adaptations to their homes so that they can live more independently. This is a mandatory grant for work considered necessary by an occupational therapist (OT). Work includes installing stairlifts, providing a level access shower in place of a bath and ensuring homes are wheelchair accessible. It can include extending your home if there are no other ways of getting access to essential facilities.
Who can apply?
Homeowners, housing association tenants and private tenants can apply. Landlords can also apply for an occupant who is registered disabled or eligible to register as disabled. We will make an assessment to see if the works are practical and will provide the most effective long-term solution. In exceptional cases, if your home is not suitable for adaptation and, with your agreement, we may decide it is best to help you to move to a more suitable accommodation. If you are a Council tenant and would like to apply for housing adaptations to meet your needs, please contact us on 02392 545609 or email GosportEHSupport@fareham.gov.uk for further information.
How do you apply for a grant?
In the first instance, apply to Occupational Therapy Direct by phoning 0300 555 1378 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Fridays 8.30am to 4.30pm) or emailing to OTdirect@hants.gov.uk. They will arrange for an occupational therapist (OT) to visit you to assess your needs.
How much grant will you receive?
This is usually based on a financial assessment (a "means test") , and you will be told how much your grant will be and whether you will need to contribute towards the work before you decide to go ahead. However, don't be discouraged from applying, as people with significant savings can often be eligible for a grant towards work. Grants to benefit a disabled child or qualifying young person (aged 18 years or younger) or if you receive an income related benefit or if you receive working tax credit and child tax credit and have an income less than £15,460, you will then be exempt from a financial assessment.
What if you can't afford your contribution?
Other sources of funding may be available from charitable organisations. The Home Improvement Agency (see below) may be to help you with this.
Will it affect other benefits?
A disabled facilities grant will not affect any benefits you are receiving.
What kinds of work can you get a grant for?
Disabled facilities grants will be considered for a range of categories of work:
- improving access to your home and garden
- providing appropriate access within a home to the main family room, bedroom, lavatory, bathroom /shower room and kitchen
- providing construction (or buying a portable extension) to form an accessible bedroom and or shower-room
- making a home safe (this may include adaptations to minimize the risk of danger if someone has behavioural problems which cause them to act in a manner that could result in damage to the building, themselves or other people)
- providing an enhanced alarm system for people with hearing difficulties.
- providing or improving an existing heating system where the wellbeing and mobility of a disabled person would otherwise be adversely affected
- enabling a disabled person to have full use of heating, lighting and power controls (including relocating power points to make them more accessible, providing adapted controls and installing more controls)
- providing help to get to common parts of buildings containing flats where a disabled person is an occupant.
- funding to help a disabled person to move home (if this is a more appropriate solution to adapting an existing home).
Can you obtain help to guide you through the process?
Many applicants find the prospect of arranging DFG works daunting so use a local home improvement agency to act on their behalf through the process. Gosport Borough Council works in partnership with Portsmouth City Council and you are able to use their Home Improvement Agency service (HIAS) in connection with your grant. Fees incurred in employing the Portsmouth HIAS to act on your behalf will be added to the overall grant. Agency staff will guide you through the decision-making process, help to organise finance, arrange and oversee building work and other technical matters. It will keep you fully informed and consulted on work being done.
Gosport DFG Policy 2020 (PDF) [170KB]
Home Improvement Loans
Gosport Borough Council is committed to help improve living conditions for those in private sector housing, ensuring that properties are safe and secure. Many owner-occupiers who are in receipt of an income-related benefit have difficulties accessing the necessary finances to undertake necessary improvements in their homes even though there is substantial 'equity' in the property. The Home Improvement Loan offered by the Council is intended to provide funding to undertake the works, with repayment of the interest free loan being deferred until the sale of the dwelling. The equity in the property is then used to repay the loan together with a small administrative charge.
Subject to the financial resources of the applicant and the availability of funds, Gosport Council will consider providing an interest free Home Improvement Loan to help vulnerable home owners who are considered to be at risk and who cannot afford to finance essential repairs. The loan is made available to meet the cost of remedying disrepair, eliminating serious hazards, installing modern facilities or an efficient heating system. For more information, click here. Links to /sections/environment/environmental-health/housing-pollution/home-improvement-loans/
HOMECHECK SCHEME
This is a free service to qualifying owner-occupiers and tenants. It provides home safety and security checks in the home of people aged 60 and over, registered disabled people or homes with a child under 5.
Homecheck home security improvements, up to a maximum of £250, may also be available, e.g. replacement/additional door or window locks, door viewers, security lighting, etc.
How to apply
Contact Environmental Health Services for details:
Telephone: 023 9254 5506
Email: GosportEHSupport@fareham.gov.uk
HANDYPERSON SERVICE
This is not a grant but a service sponsored by the Council and operated by DART (Decorating and Repair Team), who are part of GVA (Gosport Voluntary Action).
The service has been set up in response to Borough residents concerns about finding reliable workmen to carry out small jobs about the house.
Who may apply?
Any resident (owner-occupier or tenant) who is unable to attend to the work themselves (i.e. over the age of 60 years or who is registered disabled).
What is covered?
Any odd job such as:
- putting up shelves and curtain rails,
- replacing tap washers;
- repairing overflows etc.
What isn't covered?
Any repairs to gas or electrical appliances, erecting fences or work on roofs.
Help with gardening or decorating may be obtained from Gosport Voluntary Action for payment of a small fee.
Telephone: 023 9260 1314 or 023 9252 3869 for more details
How much?
£6.70 per hour, plus a one off Admin fee of £6.50.
For more details telephone: 023 9250 3871
CONVERSION GRANTS
Who may apply?
Landlords of privately owned empty or under-used dwellings, shops and offices who will convert them into dwellings (such as flats) to be rented in the private sector.
Owner-occupiers, Council and Housing Association and privately renting tenants are NOT eligible.
How much?
Grant is normally limited to 50% of the cost of the works, up to a maximum of £5,000 per self-contained dwelling resulting from the conversion. Additional funding may be available in special circumstances.
How to apply
Please make initial enquires direct to the Private Sector Housing Team.
HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY
There are a number of Government backed schemes available to help you install energy saving measures in your home. There is some form of support available for nearly all categories of household, regardless of income (terms apply). However, those residents in social housing should contact their landlord.
Warm Front Grant. The Warm Front Grant is a Central Government funded initiative for low-income households, which provides insulation, draught proofing and some or all central heating. There is a fixed list of improvement options and the precise package of measures will depend on a survey of the property.
Who may apply? Warm Front Grants are for people who are on certain benefits who own their own home OR rent it from a private landlord.
If you have received a grant before, you may qualify for extra works depending on the improvement you originally received.
If you are unsure whether you are entitled to a Warm Front Grant, you may call the Benefit Entitlement Team FREE on 0800 072 9006
The Warm Front Grant is administered by EAGA Partnership Limited. For further information you may contact The Warm Front Team directly on FREEPHONE 0800 316 2814 or visit www.warmfront.co.uk
OTHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY ASSISTANCE
The HEAT (Home Energy Action Taskforce) Hampshire Project, provides discounted loft and cavity wall insulation and is designed to enable ALL home owners or private tenants to have insulation measures installed at affordable prices and in some cases for FREE (terms apply). The HEAT Hampshire Project funding is limited and is managed by Enact Energy. Residents may obtain further information by telephoning FREE on 0800 093 4050 quoting ref: 05BDM or by applying on-line by visiting www.heatproject.co.uk
Utility Grants. The fuel companies, such as British Gas and Southern Electric, provide financial assistance for energy efficiency improvements under their Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) to Central Government. Typically these can be around 50% and are offered to those who are not in receipt of income related benefits. As this is a national Government initiative take-up of these grants should not involve any tie-in to that fuel supplier. For any details, you may contact Enact Energy on FREEPHONE 0800 093 4050 or The Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC) on FREEPHONE 0800 512 012 (see below for further details on EEAC).
The Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC).
As part of The Energy Saving Trust (a Government initiative) Energy Efficiency Advice Centres were set up across the United Kingdom during 1996. The Environment Centre (tEC) in Southampton continues to be part-funded by The Energy Saving Trust and operates as a charity. As such, the team of advisors are able to offer free impartial advice relating to any energy efficiency/ conservation issues. You may contact them on FREEPHONE 0800 512 012.
CONTACT DETAILS FOR PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSING
For further information on any of the above services or grants please contact the Private Sector Housing Team at Environmental Health:
For information and advice please contact:
Gosport Borough Council
Private Sector Housing Team
Environmental Health Services
Town Hall
High Street
Gosport
Hampshire
PO12 1EB
Please visit our contacts page online via this link.
Useful contacts:
Portsmouth City Council (HIAS)
Telephone: 02392 688369
Email: housing.privatesector@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Hampshire Occupational Therapy Services
Telephone: 0300 555 1378
Email: OTDirect@hants.gov.uk
The Council is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in all aspects of its work. If you feel you have been unfairly treated in this respect, please write to the Chief Executive.
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