Disabled Facilities Grants

We may be able to help you undertake adaptations to your home if your situation meets our criteria and funding priorities.

Disabled facilities grants may be made for modifications to the homes of people with disabilities if the adaptations will enable them to continue living at home or will improve their quality of life.

The work might entail for example:

widening doors or installing ramps
providing a specially adapted room in which it is safe to leave a person unattended
installing a stair lift so there is better access to a bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom
installing a downstairs bathroom
adapting heating or lighting controls so that they are easier to use.

An occupational therapist from the council will need to carry out an assessment of the applicant's disability in order to decide the most appropriate modifications or adaptations to be made to the property.

The council cannot pay for any work of a decorative nature, other than that directly associated with necessary structural works or adaptations, and no work must start before the grant is approved in writing by the council.

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Frequently asked questions:

Who can apply?
Disabled facilities grants are available to residents who have been assessed as being in need of necessary adaptations to their home.

You can apply for a grant if you are:

a disabled person - who is an owner occupier or a tenant (including housing association tenant)
an owner occupier or a tenant (including housing association tenant) who has a disabled person living in your home
a private landlord or housing association on behalf of a disabled tenant.

Central government lays down the criteria for this grant. They produce a leaflet entitled Disabled Facilities Grant.

Are there limits to the grant?

The limit to the amount of mandatory grant is £30,000. If the cost of the work proves to be very expensive the council may not be able to give you a grant above this amount and other action may be proposed.

How do you work out my contribution?

When you apply for a grant, other than those for the benefit of a disabled child, a test of resources will be carried out (a means test) which is an income assessment of your finances. We will include most benefits but we will ignore savings up to £6000. The amount of your grant will depend on your income, savings and responsibilities. This means that your share of the cost may range from nothing at all to the full cost of the work. To calculate your potential contribution, we will therefore need to have evidence about your earnings, other income and savings.

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Does the council have to give me a disabled facilities grant?

The council will have to ensure that the work is:

necessary
appropriate
reasonable
practicable.

An occupational therapist will usually assess whether any works is necessary and appropriate for the disabled person, with a grants officer deciding whether any of the proposed works are reasonable and/or practicable.

The council will refuse or withhold a grant if it believes the scheme does not fit these criteria.

Can I appeal if I am unhappy with the proposed works or grant being offered?

Applicants are entitled to ask for their case to be reviewed by the head of environmental health. There may be grounds for a further appeal to an independent panel consisting of elected Members and senior officers. The final decision will be taken by the director of the council's environment, culture and communities department.

Applicants are advised in the first instance to write, outlining their grievance and requesting details of the appeal process, to the address below. A more detailed appeal should then be lodged to:

The Head of Environmental Health
Bracknell Forest Council
Times Square
Market Street
Bracknell
RG12 1JD