Tendring District Council

Disabled Facilities Grant (Tendring)

Tendring District Council's Disabled Facilities Grant pays for changes to a disabled person's home, such as ramps, stairlifts, level-access showers and kitchen alterations, so they can live safely and independently. The maximum grant is £30,000. Tendring has suspended the means test, so applicants do not have their income assessed. An Occupational Therapist from Essex County Council social services assesses what is needed first.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £30,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Tendring residents who are disabled, or someone applying on their behalf
You can be a homeowner, private tenant, council tenant or housing association tenant, or a landlord applying for a disabled tenant; people living in a caravan or houseboat may qualify where the dwelling is classed as a residential property
You must plan to live in the home during the grant period (usually 5 years)
No formal diagnosis is needed: what matters is how your condition affects daily life
An Occupational Therapist must assess your needs first, and the council must agree the changes are needed and reasonable and practical to make in the home
Tendring currently does not means test the mandatory grant
If you sell or transfer the home within 10 years of a grant for an extension, the council may ask for up to £10,000 back

What it funds

Access to the home: ramps or steps, handrails, widening doors, external stairlifts, hard standings for wheelchairs (if parking is difficult)
Bathroom and toilet: walk-in showers, lever taps, raised toilets, grab rails, non-slip flooring, basic tiling to prevent water damage
Kitchen: lowered worktops, easy-to-use taps and sockets, space for a fridge or cooker, rearranging layout for wheelchair access, minor changes to help prepare light meals
Other adaptations: automatic door openers, improved lighting and heating controls, stairlifts (with extended warranties), ceiling track hoists, smart home technology (in some cases)
Electrical changes: moving light switches and plug sockets so they are easier to reach, only in rooms the disabled person uses
Extra heating in rooms used every day, only if a medical need is shown
Special fire alarms for people who are hard of hearing
Changes to walls or floors to fit equipment from Social Services
Small repairs needed before adaptations can be made, such as fixing rotted floors, strengthening floors for showers, electrical repairs for safety and fixing low water pressure
An extra bathroom or bedroom, if it is just for the disabled person, other rooms cannot be adapted and a full review shows it is the best option
Garden access, if an Occupational Therapist says it is needed
Relocation, where the home cannot be adapted and the council agrees moving is the best option: legal fees, estate agent fees, stamp duty (lowest rate), land registration fees, survey fees and moving costs (based on two quotes)

What it will not fund

Fixing broken heating systems
Full rewires or replacing drains
Landscaping or making the garden easier to use
Work beyond what is recommended as essential, which you must pay for yourself

How to apply

Contact Essex County Council (0345 603 7630) to ask for an Occupational Therapist assessment; its 'Adapting Your Home' leaflet explains the process
The Occupational Therapist assesses your needs and recommends what changes should be made
Apply to Tendring's Housing Grants team (online form, dfgteam@tendringdc.gov.uk or 01255 686744)
The work is carried out, then inspected by the council
The council pays the grant after the work is finished and checked; large jobs such as extensions may be paid in stages

Have ready

Planning permission documents
Building regulations certificates
Any other legal paperwork, such as Party Wall notices

These are needed before the grant is paid.

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