Disabled facilities grants (DFG) are available to help disabled occupants with the cost of adapting their homes to meet their care needs. A DFG can be between £1,000 and £30,000. Soft furnishings are not included but minimal decoration is.
If you’ve been assessed by an occupational therapist as having a disability that requires adaptations which are covered by the DFG, you can apply for a grant if you are:
- a tenant in a privately rented or housing association home, living by yourself or with your family
- a homeowner, living by yourself or with your family
- the parent or guardian of a disabled child
- the landlord of a disabled tenant
Apart from an application for a child, all DFG applications are means tested. This means you’ll be financially assessed and may receive a grant to cover the full cost, up to £30,000, or part of the cost of the required adaptation.
Exemptions
You’ll be exempt from a financial assessment and get a full grant if you, or your partner, receive:
- Income Support
- income-based Employment and Support Allowance (not contribution-based ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (not contribution-based JSA)
- Guarantee Pension Credit (not Savings Pension Credit alone)
- Housing Benefit
- Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit, provided the annual income for the purposes of assessing entitlement to the tax credit is less than £15,050
- Universal Credit, including any Universal Credit which introduced from 2013 onwards as a replacement for working age benefits and tax credits
If you do not receive one of these benefits, you may still qualify for a DFG that covers the full cost of the works. You may, however, have to pay towards the cost of your required adaptation.
How to apply
Get in touch with the Adult Social Care Contact Centre and ask for an occupational therapist to visit. They’ll assess your needs. If they recommend adapting your home, our grants technical officer can help you with the application process.
No work on adaptations should begin until the DFG has been approved. This is because, if the grant is not approved for any reason, you’ll be liable for the costs.
If you’re a council tenant
Housing Landlord Services meet the cost and carry out the work.
If you own your home
If you own your home and the works will cost more than £5,000, we apply a local land charge against the property for 10 years, up to a maximum of £10,000.
If you move within this time or your property passes to family, we may remove the charge, or you may have to repay the local land charge against the property. This will be assessed on the individual circumstances of the applicant and their partner.
If your home cannot be adapted
You might not be able to adapt your home. If you qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant and need to move to a more suitable property, you may receive funding to cover eligible moving costs. One of the following will need to apply:
- the adaptations are not practicable
- major work is needed and it would be better and more cost effective for you to move
- you're a tenant and the landlord refuses to agree to the work
If you’re a tenant, costs for furniture removal may be covered.
As an owner, eligible moving costs include removals, solicitors and estate agent fees.
We assess your finances to work out if you have to pay towards the cost.
An occupational therapist and grants technical officer must confirm the new home can be adapted before you buy or rent a new property.