Disabled facilities grant

If you struggle to get around the house safely because you are older or disabled, you may be able to get a grant towards the cost of adaptations.

A Disabled Facilities Grant is a grant from South Tyneside Council to help towards the cost of adapting your home to enable you to continue to live there. A grant is paid when the Council considers that changes are necessary to meet your needs, and that the work is reasonable and practical.

You can claim for the disabled facilities grant if you, or someone living in your property, is disabled and:

• you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, are either the owner or tenant (including licensees) of the property
• you can certify that you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, intend to occupy the property as your/their only or main residence throughout the grant period - currently five years

A landlord may apply on behalf of a disabled tenant.

A grant can be used for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement in to and around your home and/or to provide essential facilities within it.

If you are disabled, acceptable types of work include:

• widening doors and installing ramps
• providing or improving access to rooms and facilities - for example, by installing a stair lift or providing a downstairs bathroom
• improving or providing a heating system which is suitable for your needs
• adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use
• improving access to and movement around the home to enable you to care for another person who lives in the property, such as a child

An occupational therapist will look at your circumstances and can recommend the type of adaptation(s) needed.

The amount paid is usually based on a financial assessment (a 'means test') of your average weekly income, and takes into account any savings, capital, investments etc.

See the means test requirements.

The means test is not required if the adaptation is for a disabled children under 19.

Means testing will take into account savings above a certain limit. Capital is included in the means test. The first £6,000 of savings is disregarded.

If you have a partner, your combined income will be assessed jointly.

A range of premiums and allowances are used for all essential outgoings, for example, rent / mortgage and personal expenditure.

Actual outgoings are not taken into consideration.

If you recieve benefits 

The following benefits will not be taken into account as income:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Other benefits assessed as earning less than £15,050 per year, will allow you to be eligible for a 100% grant. These include benefits such as:

• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Guaranteed Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Employment and Support Allowance (Income Based)
• Income based jobseeker's Allowance
• Working or Child Tax Credit

Receiving a disabled facilities grant will not affect any benefits you are currently receiving.

Depending on the outcome of the financial assessment, the amount of grant assistance offered can vary from 0 to 100% of the cost to provide the recommended adaptation.

The maximum amount of grant that a council is required to pay is £30,000 per application less any assessed contribution from you.

If your income is less than the allowance the Government says you can have, you will not normally need to contribute to the cost of the works.

If your income is more than the allowance the Government says you can have, a proportion of your income will be used to calculate the amount of contribution you need to make towards the cost of the works.

The Grants Officer allocated to your case will require proof of all forms on income, savings, shares, bonds, ISAs, additional properties and capital. Documents accepted include:

• Proof of wages, payslips or P60
• Pension summary, including proof of Guarantee Pension Credit if applicable
• P60 or payslips for occupational pension
• P60 or payslips any other pension
• Up to date statements from Department of Work and Pensions regarding all payments received
• Up to date statement from South Tyneside Council awarding Housing Benefit
• Bank statement / Savings statement / Building society book
• Evidence of shares, bonds or similar investments

Below are some useful numbers to help you get these documents if they are needed:

We have created the Housing Assistance policy to provide guidance on the way we deliver the Disabled Facilities Grant.

The aims of this policy include:

• to provide a fair approach for anyone needing an adaptation no matter where they live
• to make sure that adaptations and alterations in the home reflect our ambitions as a Council, which include keeping people 'healthy and well' and 'part of strong communities'
• to targeting the right support at the right time to allow people in South Tyneside to live independently in their home

It is important the Council provide a fair approach to assistance to make sure the funding available reaches those people in most need.

What is involved in the policy

This policy outlines our approach to the following:

• Our key priorities for providing financial assistance and who can get assistance
• Funding and where this comes from
• What assistance that is being offered
• Eligibility criteria
• Our approach to means testing
• The amounts available
• The application process
• How you can complain or appeal the decision
• How we apply discretion on cases that fall outside the policy
• Our service standards
• Performance and Outcomes Monitoring
• Our implementation and review plan

View the policy

View the Housing Assistance Policy 2024 - 2027.