Disabled facilities grants

Disabled facilities grants (DFGs) are available to qualifying disabled home owners, private tenants, tenants of registered providers (housing associations) and qualifying houseboat or park home owners. Download a copy of the DFG Policy 2015 (updated 6 November 2020) (PDF 510kb)

What is a disabled facilities grant?

A DFG is a grant that qualifying disabled people can apply for to help pay for major adaptations to their home. A major adaptation is classed as an adaptation that costs more than £1,000 that helps people with access into and around their home and to basic amenities such as bathing. The grant is available through West Lancashire Borough Council following an Occupational Therapy or Trusted Assessor assessment.
  
The grant is a means-tested grant, however, the Council has decided to waive the means-testing requirement to encourage more people who need help to apply.

What can the grant be used to pay for?

An Occupational Therapist or Trusted Assessor will recommend the type of adaptations that are needed. As a guide, adaptations can be used to:

• Allow access into the dwelling e.g. by providing a ramp
• Allow access into and around the dwelling including access to a garden e.g. by widening doors
• Allow access to toilet and bathing facilities e.g. by adapting a bathroom

If you need minor aids such as grab rails, these will be provided by Lancashire County Council.

Grant conditions

When applying for a grant, there are terms and conditions that you will need to agree to. You will be provided with a copy of these terms and conditions before you apply for the grant.

Do I have to pay the grant back?

If you are an owner occupier and you sell your home within 10 years of the date the work was completed, you will have to pay back the amount of grant that exceeds £5,000 but you will not have to pay back more than £10,000. For example, if the amount of grant was £6,000, you would have to pay back £1,000 as the first £5,000 is disregarded.

How do I arrange for the work to be carried out?

The Council offers a grant agency service to all DFG applicants. The grant agency service will complete the grant application process for you, arrange for a builder to complete the work, supervise the work and arrange for the grant amount to be paid to the builder on satisfactory completion. There is a charge for this service and the charge can be included in the grant.
 
Alternatively, you can find your own builder to do the work. If you choose to find your own builder, the Council must be satisfied that they are reputable and suitably qualified. The Council will also tell you the amount it feels is reasonable to cover the cost of the works. If your builder's costs are higher than the amount set by the Council, you will have to pay the difference to the builder.

How do I apply for a grant?

The first step is to have your need for adaptations assessed. If you have a non-complex medical condition such as arthritis, we may be able to arrange a Trusted Assessor to assess your needs. If your medical condition is more complex, it is a condition that will deteriorate over time or you may benefit from a wider support package, your assessment will be carried out by an Occupational Therapist. We can carry out an initial telephone assessment to decide which assessment route is best. You can contact the Housing Adaptations Team on 01695 577 177  or by email at HousingAdaptations@westlancs.gov.uk

Once your needs have been assessed and major adaptations are recommended, a Housing Adaptations Technical Officer will visit you to carry out a survey of your home and complete the grant application form.

Council tenants 

If you are a tenant of West Lancashire Borough Council, you do not need to apply for a DFG as the Council funds adaptations for its own tenants. You will still need to have your needs assessed by an Occupational Therapist  before the Council can agree to any adaptations being carried out. The Council may also discuss moving you to a more suitable property if the recommended adaptations to your home will be very expensive.  

Council tenants should contact Lancashire County Council on 0300 123 6720 to arrange to be assessed by an Occupational Therapist.