Stair Lift Grants - Disabled Facilities Grant

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Stair Lift Grants are available from your council if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home, for example to:

• improve access to rooms and facilities - eg stairlifts

How much you get for your stair lift grant depends on your household income or whether you have any household savings over £6000. Depending on your income, you may need to pay towards the cost of the work to the property.

Disabled children under 18 can get a grant without their parents’ income being taken into account. Contact your local council for more information.

You might not get any stair lift grant if you start work on your property before the council approves your application.

How to apply for a disabled facilities grant

Applicant must:

• Be owner or tenant of the dwelling (with required certificates.)
• Be able to specify and provide contact details for the disabled user.
• Guarantee the disabled user will occupy the dwelling for a minimum of 5 years after approval of grant (subject to unavoidable factors including but not restricted to death or hospitalisation)

Works must be:

• Necessary and appropriate to meet needs
• Reasonable and practical for the property
• Satisfactory to the discretion of the local council

The maximum grant available is £30,000 (England) or £36,000 (Wales). The amount granted will be determined by a means test (only if the disabled claimant is over 19 years of age), which will take into account the following calculations:

• The weekly income of the claimant and their spouse/partner
• The capital of the claimant and their spouse/partner
• The current savings of the claimant and their spouse/partner

These will be calculated against basic needs to determine overall outgoings.

Claimants that exceed the maximum assessment allowance must contribute a set amount to the work costs. This contribution will be deducted from the maximum grant allowance as well as the cost of the works themselves.

Example (Mr Smith of England):

- If Mr Smith is required to contribute £5,000 towards costs, he will only be allowed a maximum grant of £25,000.

- If the cost of works for Mr Smith is £7,500, the council will pay £2,500. Mr Smith’s compulsory contribution of £5,000 will cover the rest.

- If the cost of works for Mr Smith is £35,000, the council will pay the maximum £25,000 (limit less contribution). Mr Smith’s £5,000 contribution will remain compulsory to the grant. The remaining £5,000 still needed for the works will not be included in the grant and it will be the responsibility of Mr Smith to make up the deficit before the grant is approved.

- The council is entitled to use its discretionary powers outside of the disabled grant to make up any extra costs if Mr Smith cannot afford the remaining £5,000.

- Social Services Authorities and/or charitable claims may also be available to cover any extra costs, again outside of the disabled grant. However this will only be acceptable if the additional funds are required to meet the needs of Mr Smith as laid out in the assessment.

Application

• The claimant or a representative must contact the Housing or Environmental Health Department of their local Council and submit a formal request for a Disabled Facilities Grant. The eligibility of the claimant will be determined during a visit from an assessor.
• Building Regulations and/or Planning Permission must be secured separately to the application
• Any documentation required will be specified by the council during the meeting between the assessor and claimant.

Payment

• The grant can be paid either as a full payment once work is completed to and councils’ satisfaction or in set instalments agreed before the approval of the grant.
• The claimant is solely responsible for the efficiency and reliability of any companies or individuals employed to complete the works. This includes but is not restricted to architects, builders and contractors.
• Alternatively should the claimant wish to complete any necessary works through the Home Improvement Agency (HIA), the latter shall be responsible for the processing of the grant and appointment of any contractors as well as project management of the works until completion.
• Payment may go from the council directly to those contracted to do the works, making the claimant entirely responsible for informing the council as to whether the works have been completed to their satisfaction. The local council is not legally bound to withhold payments until such a confirmation is made. However, the HIA will provide a full inspection of the completed works and endeavour to include comments from the applicant in relation to the works completed.
• The council will not make payments to any relatives of the claimant or the claimant themselves relating to works completed by themselves for any reason with no exceptions.