GrantRadar

Exeter City Council

Accessible Homes Grant

Exeter City Council's discretionary top-up to the Disabled Facilities Grant, subject to available funds, for disabled residents whose adaptations cost more than the £30,000 DFG limit or include works the DFG does not cover. The policy caps the top-up at £20,000 and it can also cover a means-tested contribution in some cases. A Moving Application version helps a disabled person move to a more suitable home when that is more appropriate than adapting (up to £10,000 for owner-occupiers or £5,000 for tenants).

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £20,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Disabled residents of Exeter who are eligible for a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant (assessed by an occupational therapist working for or approved by Devon County Council), including owner-occupiers, private and housing association tenants and people living with family
  • All applicants are means tested, including parents or guardians of a disabled child
  • For the Moving Application, the occupational therapist and/or council must consider rehousing more appropriate than adapting (or the landlord has refused permission), the new home must be a long-term sustainable home, moving and adaptation costs must not exceed the cost of adapting the current home, and the applicant must have lived in their current home for at least 2 years
  • Funding is subject to availability

What it funds

  • Top-up to a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant where the cost of works exceeds £30,000
  • Works to adapt the home and make it safe that may not be covered by the DFG, and fees for feasibility works to decide whether an adaptation can go ahead
  • A means-tested contribution, where it is at least a third of the applicant's savings
  • Moving Application: moving costs where moving is more appropriate than adapting, e.g. for owner-occupiers mortgage arrangement fees, conveyancing, Land Registry and search fees, Stamp Duty, surveys, removals and estate agent commission (up to £10,000); for tenants letting agent fees, rent deposit and removals (up to £5,000)

What it will not fund

  • Anything over the £20,000 grant maximum (a loan may be possible instead)
  • Works started before the grant application is processed and approvals obtained
  • Works not agreed by the council or not considered appropriate to the disabled person's needs

How to apply

  1. Contact Care Direct at Devon County Council on 0345 1551 007 (or the Integrated Children's Service on 0330 024 5321) to arrange an occupational therapist visit
  2. The occupational therapist assesses needs and, if a Disabled Facilities Grant is recommended, provides a referral to the council
  3. Apply for the Disabled Facilities Grant; the council considers the Accessible Homes Grant where costs exceed £30,000 or a move is more appropriate, using the evidence from the DFG application
  4. After approval, complete the works within 12 months; the grant is normally paid direct to the contractor

do not start works until you have formal approval

a local land charge for the full Accessible Homes Grant is repayable if the property is sold within 10 years (5 years for moving grants to owner-occupiers)

if grants do not cover the full cost, the council points to loans from Lendology CIC; these are loans, not grants

Have ready

  • Completed and signed application form
  • Evidence of financial situation
  • Evidence of ownership of the property or the right to reside there
  • Permission for the works (if applicable)
  • Planning or Building Regulation approvals
  • Schedule of works and plans for more complex works, and tenders unless an agreed framework is used

evidence from the Disabled Facilities Grant application is reused for the Accessible Homes Grant

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