Disabled Facilities Grants

Disabled facilities grants – help to adapt your home

Disabled Facilities Grants help people with disabilities live more independently in their homes.
This grant can help pay for changes to your home to make life easier.

What is the grant for?

The grant can help with things like:

• Installing ramps or stair lifts
• Making bathrooms easier to use
• Widening doors
• Other changes to help you move around safely

How to start

Essex County Council has made a leaflet to explain the grant and how to apply:
📎 Adapting Your Home (PDF – if you can’t access it, please email us for help)

You can also visit:
🌐 www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants

If you’re a Tendring council tenant

Your home may be adapted through our Special Needs Adaptations programme.
Click here to learn more:
📎 Tendring – Adapting Your Home

Means testing

The grant is means tested (we look at your income), unless it’s for a child.

If you get an income-related benefit, you may not have to pay anything.

We can do a quick check (even before your Occupational Therapy assessment) to see if you qualify.

Disabled facilities grants – the legal framework

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) help people with disabilities make changes to their homes so they can live safely and comfortably.

What is the law behind DFGs?

DFGs were first introduced in 1990. The main law that covers them now is the:

Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996

This law says that councils must give a grant if:

• The changes are needed to help the disabled person
• It is reasonable and practical to make those changes in the home

Who decides what’s needed?

An Occupational Therapist (OT) from Social Services will look at the person’s needs and recommend what changes should be made.

The council usually follows the OT’s advice, but may look at other options if needed.

What if the home can’t be changed?

Sometimes, it’s not possible to make the home suitable. This could be because:

• The home is too old or in poor condition
• The changes would cost too much

In these cases, the council may suggest other options.

How much money can you get?

• The maximum grant is £30,000
• The grant is means-tested (except for children), which means the council looks at your income and savings to decide how much you can get
• If you get certain benefits, you may not need to pay anything

How long does it take?

Once you send in a complete application, the council must make a decision within 6 months.

Can the Council ask for the money back?

Yes, but only if:

• You sell or transfer the home within 10 years of getting the grant
• The grant was over £5,000
• The council thinks it’s reasonable to ask for it back

The most they can ask for is £10,000.

The Process & Assessment

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) help people with disabilities make changes to their homes. The law says the Council must process all proper applications, whether you:

• Own your home
• Rent your home
• Live in a housing association property

What counts as a DFG?

Some housing associations may do their own adaptations. These are not always official DFGs, unless they follow the legal rules.

Getting an assessment

To apply for a DFG, you need an Occupational Therapist (OT) to look at your needs.

Contact Essex Social Services to ask for an OT assessment:

📧 Email: socialcaredirect@essex.gov.uk
📞 Phone: 0345 603 7630

Once the OT recommends changes, the Council will decide if:

• The changes are necessary and appropriate
• It’s reasonable and practical to make those changes in your home

If the home can’t be adapted properly or the cost is too high, the Council may suggest other options.

Who can be considered part of a disabled facilities grant

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) helps people with disabilities make changes to their homes so they can live safely and independently.

Who can apply?

You can apply if:

• You are disabled or applying for someone who is
• You are a homeowner, private tenant, council tenant, or housing association tenant
• You plan to live in the home during the grant period (usually 5 years)
• You are a landlord applying for a disabled tenant
• You live in a caravan or houseboat (in some cases)

You don’t need a formal diagnosis—what matters is how your condition affects your daily life.

What is the assessment?

Before you apply, you need an Occupational Therapist (OT) to assess your needs.
They will recommend what changes are needed in your home.

What can the grant help with?

The grant can help with changes like:

Access to the home

• Ramps or steps
• Handrails
• Widening doors
• External stairlifts
• Hard standings for wheelchairs (if parking is difficult)

Bathroom & toilet

• Walk-in showers
• Lever taps
• Raised toilets
• Grab rails
• Non-slip flooring
• Basic tiling to prevent water damage

Kitchen

• Lowered worktops
• Easy-to-use taps and sockets
• Space for a fridge or cooker
• Rearranging layout for wheelchair access
• Minor changes to help prepare light meals

Other adaptations

• Automatic door openers
• Improved lighting and heating controls
• Stairlifts (with extended warranties)
• Ceiling track hoists
• Smart home technology (in some cases)

How much can you get?

• The maximum grant is £30,000 in England
• The grant is means-tested (except for children)
• You may need to pay part of the cost depending on your income
• If you get certain benefits, you may not need to pay anything

Other works that will be considered

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) can help pay for extra changes to your home if they are needed because of a disability. Here are some examples of what might be covered:

Electrical changes

• Moving light switches and plug sockets so they’re easier to reach
• Only in rooms the disabled person uses

Heating

• Extra heating in rooms used every day
• Only if a medical need is shown
• Not for fixing broken heating systems
• Changing the type of heating may be allowed if needed for health reasons

Fire safety

• Special fire alarms for people who are hard of hearing

Structural changes

• Changes to walls or floors to fit equipment from Social Services
• Extra work may be allowed if the home is a listed building

Repairs linked to adaptations

If your home needs small repairs before adaptations can be made, the grant may help with:

• Fixing rotted floors
• Strengthening floors for showers
• Electrical repairs for safety
• Fixing low water pressure

🚫 Full rewires or replacing drains are not covered

Extra bathrooms or bedrooms

You may get help to add a bathroom or bedroom if:

• It’s just for the disabled person
• Other rooms can’t be adapted
• A full review shows it’s the best option

Garden access

You may get help to access the garden if an Occupational Therapist says it’s needed.

We will look at:

• If there’s already a way to get to the garden
• If the current access is unsafe
• If the garden is shared (like in flats), help may only be given if the walk is too far or difficult

🚫 The grant does not cover landscaping or making the garden easier to use.

Relocation & additional non-recommended work

Sometimes, it’s not possible to make the changes needed to a home. If that happens, the Council may help you move to a new home that better suits your needs.

Relocation support

If the Council agrees that moving is the best option, they may help with:

• Legal fees
• Estate agent fees
• Stamp duty (lowest rate)
• Land registration fees
• Survey fees
• Moving costs (based on two quotes)

They may also help with small changes to the new home, based on advice from Social Services.

👉 A Council officer will check the new home before any grant is given.

Extra work not covered by the grant

If you want to do more work than what’s recommended:

• The Council will only pay for the essential work
• You must pay for anything extra yourself
• The grant will only be approved if the work meets the disabled person’s needs

Getting paid

The Council will pay the grant after the work is finished and checked.

For big jobs like extensions, they may pay in stages—after each part is inspected.

You’ll need to give the Council:

• Planning permission documents
• Building regulations certificates
• Any other legal paperwork (like Party Wall notices)

"Nil grant" applications

Following the means test, should an applicant's contribution exceed the cost of the works deemed necessary and the applicant wishes to fund the works themselves then the applicant will be offered a "Nil Grant" application.

A Nil Grant application will ensure that any applicant contributions for eligible and relevant works will be considered and offset with respect to any future Disabled Facilities Grant applications.

The council will require a full and completed application for a "Nil Grant" award and all works will be subject to inspection and sign off as the cost of these works will potentially offset any Disabled facility Grant contributions.

Contact us

If you have questions or want to apply:

Private Sector Housing
🏢 Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1SE
📞 Phone: 01255 686744
📧 Email: dfgteam@tendringdc.gov.uk

Or fill in our online form.

Useful links

• Financial Assistance Policy
• Essex County Council Adult Social Care