Disabled facilities grants (DFG) are mandatory grants that are available borough-wide for adaptations to the home to meet the needs of disabled owner-occupiers or tenants.
If you think that you or a member of your family may require works to enable access to the property, move around the property or to be able to use essential facilities within the home then grant assistance may be available. If you require advice or information on the DFG process, please do not hesitate to contact the grants team.
Before the council can accept a grant application we will need a referral from an Occupational Therapist or Community Care Worker following an assessment of the needs of the disabled person. To request an assessment from social care please contact the Amber Valley Social Care office via Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190.
Please be aware that all major adaptations for adults will be means tested. A preliminary test of resources will be carried out at an early stage to estimate whether you may have any contribution to make towards the cost of works. Children's adaptations are currently not subject to a means test.
If you or someone in your home is disabled you may qualify for help towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities, so that you or the disabled person can continue to live in your home.
These grants are administered by local authorities on behalf of the government. If you do not live in Amber Valley borough, you should contact your own local authority.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) publication Disabled Facilities Grant will give you more information on how the grant works.
You can apply for a grant if you are:
The person who applies for the grant does not have to be the disabled person who needs the adaptations.However, the person applying for the grant will be asked to sign a certificate stating that the disabled person intends to occupy the home being adapted.
Whoever applies for the grant must produce a certificate of ownership or tenancy for the property the work is to take place in. In all cases we require a certificate of ownership, if the property belongs to a landlord.
The limit to the amount of mandatory grant is £30,000 which is set by the government. If the cost of the work proves to be very expensive the council will not be able to give you a grant above this amount, and other funding sources or action may be proposed.
Disabled facilities grants are given for essential adaptations over £1000 in value that give a disabled person better access into their home and freedom of movement around, and use of their home.
For minor works relating to aids and equipment that are under £1000 in value please contact Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190.
The DCLG publication Disabled Facilities Grant will give you more information on the type of work that can be carried out using a disabled facilities grant.
When a grant is available but the cost of the work exceeds the grant limit, it may be possible to access other sources of funding.
Yes, providing an assessment has been carried out by an Occupational Thereapist confirming that the work is necessary and appropriate. The council also must be happy that the work is reasonable and practicable
The council can refuse a grant if it believes the scheme does not fit these criteria.
You will need to Contact Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190 and give them details regarding the disabled person.
They will arrange for an Occupational Therapist or Community Care Worker to visit your home and undertake an assessment of the needs of the disabled person including recommending any adaptation works.
In exceptional cases a decision will be made to prioritise the case as urgent.
You are not likely to get any grant if you have started work before the council has approved your application.
The amount of grant, other than those for disabled children, will depend on your income and savings.
To calculate your contribution, if any, we will need to ask a number of questions about your earnings, other income and savings. When interviewed please have proof of your earnings, savings, benefits and so on.
When you apply for a grant, a test of resources will be carried out (a means test) which is an income assessment of your finances.
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.
A grant where the adaptations are for a disabled child is not means tested at all.
DCC have their own technical department who act as our agents and they can obtain all necessary permissions, prepare any drawings, obtain prices from experienced contractors, and order and supervise the works.
You can appoint your own architects and contractors but the council will only approve a grant based on reasonable costs of other similar works, view full procedure. You will need to make sure that any building regulation or planning permission has been granted before you start work.
Where the grant is for specialist equipment such as Stairlifts and Hoists , these are normally organised, ordered and supervised by adult services at DCC.
The council may pay the grant in instalments as the work progresses or make one payment once all the work has been completed.
Your grant will only be fully paid when the council is satisfied that the work has been satisfactorily completed in accordance with the grant approval and on receipt of an invoice, appropriate safety certificates, warranties and completion notices. The completed works must also fully meet the needs of the disabled person, as specified by the Occupational Therapist.
The grant is either paid directly to Derbyshire County Council, or to your appointed contractor, or in a form that you can pay them once the work has been completed.
A disabled facilities grant is not normally repayable for works under £5000. However for applicants who are owner occupiers and where the cost of the grant exceeds £5,000, the council may require a repayment of the grant up to the maximum value of £10,000.
A local land charge is placed on the property which is activated if the property is sold within 10 years of grant completion.
Contact the team directly on 01773 841335 or email eh-housing@ambervalley.gov.uk
