Disabled Facilities Grant - Print version

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFGs)

The purpose of a Disabled Facilities Grant is to enable disabled people to have access in and around their home to help them continue to live independently.

Read our Housing Assistance Policy [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/housingassistancepolicy] for full details.

About the grant

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) can be issued towards home adaptations, such as;

• Level access shower
• Wash / dry toilet
• Ramps
• Door widening

The grant is means-tested - your income and savings would be taken into account to decide whether or not a grant can be paid and what level of contribution (if any) you would need to pay. 

The grant is subject to the following conditions;

• The disabled person intends to stay living in the property for the next 5 years
• Property owners will have a local land charge placed on their property (for mandatory grants over £7.500), and may have to pay some of this back if they sell within 10 years
• DFG funding limit is £30k (A discretionary Top Up Grant may be available)
• There will be further local land charges associated with the Contribution Support Grant and/or Top Up Grant.

Further information about DFGs can be found at Adapt my Home [https://adaptmyhome.org.uk/home/moreinfo]

The Referral and Assessment

Stage 1: The Referral

You can apply for a DFG as an owner, a tenant or a landlord of a property. You will need to contact the Occupational Therapy Service on 024 7683 3003 or email ASCDirect@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:ASCDirect@coventry.gov.uk].

Stage 2: The Assessment

Initially, you will have an assessment over the phone to discuss the difficulties you may be having, after which, you will be invited into our Assessment Clinic or an Occupational Therapist (OT) will visit you at home. There is a range equipment available to meet the needs of people with disabilities and it may be that your needs can be met by these, rather than a DFG.

If a DFG is required, the OT will make a recommendation to the Adaptations team. 

At this point, it would be prudent for you to complete a notional means test [http://www.adaptmyhome.org.uk/meanstest] to establish if you are eligible for the grant, and if a contribution is required. Your OT can provide you with a help sheet to fill out the means test and answer any questions you may have about your contribution.

There are two application routes that you may chose to take; a mandatory DFG application or a self-managed application. Your OT will discuss this with you during your assessment and make the appropriate referrals.

The Application

Stage 3: The Application

If you choose to take the mandatory DFG application route, a Home Improvement Officer (HIO) will be allocated to your case to compile your application.

Part of the application form is the means test, and the HIO will assist you to fill this out.

If you are in receipt of a means-tested benefit, or if the work is for a child or young person under the age of 19 for whom child benefit is received, you will not have any contribution and will not need to complete the full means test.

The means-tested benefits are listed below:

• 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 that the annual income for the purposes of assessing entitlement to the tax credit is less than £15,050
• Universal Credit
• Council tax benefit/reduction (income-based only, not single occupancy or disability).

Only the income and savings/capital of the disabled person and his/her partner are taken into account. Evidence of any income and benefits you receive will be required, including pay slips, pensions, disability benefits, etc. as well as evidence of any capital and savings that you have.

Once the financial assessment has been carried out and it has been established that you wish to proceed with your application, the HIO will survey your property, draw up some plans, and gain all necessary permission such as building control and planning permission if required.  Please note that the most cost effective scheme to meet your needs will be offered to you.  You will be involved in the process and sign off the plans to confirm that you are happy with the proposed adaptation. We hold a list of contractors that have shown their capability of carrying out this type of work and are allocated on a rotation basis.  You will be allocated a Contractor directly from this list.

If you would prefer to chose your own Contractor and/or you wish to design your own scheme, you will need to take the Self-Managed application route [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/44947/your-guide-to-applying-for-a-disabled-facilities-grant].  For example, the OT deems that the conversion of your existing bathroom into a level access shower would meet your needs, however you would like a level access shower in a new build extension.

If you wish to take this route, you would be responsible for compiling your own application, including getting all plans drawn and permissions sought. You will be allocated an HIO to cost out what the Council’s recommended scheme would cost. This route is still subject to the mandatory means test.

Grant Approval

Stage 4: Grant Approval

Before the grant can be approved all the necessary documentation needs to be in place. This includes the completed application forms, proof of ownership, sketch plans agreed by you and the OT, costings and Planning Permission/Building Regulations approval (where applicable). You will then be sent an approval letter which will advise of the amount approved for your grant and of the approval expiry date. The work should be completed within twelve months of the approval date, after which time the Council has the discretion to withdraw the offer of grant aid.

The Works

Stage 5: The Works

Before work commences, particularly for complex works, the HIO may carry out a pre-site visit with you and the Contractor. At this meeting, you should be given an approximate start date and it is a good idea to ask any questions that you may have about the work at this meeting whilst the HIO and the Contractor are both in attendance.

The contract is between yourself and the contractor and you will be asked to sign a formal agreement to that effect. The Contractor will advise how long the proposed works are due to take, discuss any health and safety requirements

Completion

Stage 6: Completion

Once the Contractor has completed the work they will ask you to sign to say you are satisfied.  A HIO will then arrange an inspection of the work to ensure that it has been completed in line with the approved plans and that it is of an acceptable standard. If you have a contribution to pay, you must pay this directly to the Contractor, before the Council will release the grant payment

The payment will not be made to the Contractor until both you and the Home Improvement Officer are happy with the standard of the work. If there is a Building Regulations application the Building Control Officer will also need to carry out a completion inspection.

The Contractor should send all paperwork (invoices, certificates, instruction booklets, etc.) directly to you.

The Council will make payment directly to the Contractor once the work has been inspected and all necessary documentation received.