5.2 Adaptation, Improvement and Repair Grants

Grants for Disabled Adaptations

If you are disabled and own your own home or are a private renter, you can get a grant to help with adapting your home if you have a need which is deemed a priority for assistance by The Highland Council. This will be established by an assessment of your circumstances. Sometimes this assessment will decide that instead of adapting a move to a new house is a better way to meet your needs.

In Highland, mandatory grants covering 80% of the actual work cost are available for eligible works. All of the eligible works costs are covered if you get any of the following benefits:

income support
income based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
pension credit (guarantee element)
employment support allowance (income related)

Eligible Works include:

External works to improve safety and access to one door of the building e.g. fixed ramps; path work; steps and handrails
Works to allow/improve access within the building e.g. stair lifts; through floor lifts; door widening; fitting lower work surfaces
Works to improve personal care/health needs e.g. wet floor shower area; closo-mats; level access shower; hand/grab rails; heating change (where deemed necessary following medical assessment)
Ground floor extensions to house facilities only where need cannot be met within existing building footprint. This does not include additional living accommodation.

If you still face costs, the Council will make sure you get advice about other options for paying for the work such as loans.

If you rent your home privately, your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse to give consent for the adaptations you need.

You can get more information from your local Care and Repair Agent or national organisations such as Advice Service Capability Scotland (tel. 0131 313 5510).

A leaflet ‘Help with Adaptations to your Home’ is also available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Repair and Improvement Grants

The type of grant available depends on the kind of work you are planning to carry out. To make sure that grants are given to the people who are least able to afford work on their house themselves, an assessment is made to calculate how much should be contributed by all the people who should help maintain the house.

Improvement grants are made available at the Council's discretion to bring privately owned property, which is assessed as being Below the Tolerable Standard (BTS), back into good condition and permanent residential use for at least 5 years after the grant is paid. (To see what is meant by the Tolerable Standard go to the Scottish Government website at: Implementing the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, Parts 1 and 2: Advisory and Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities: Volume 4 Tolerable Standard.) They are not mandatory grants. The maximum grant that can currently be awarded is £20,000. The actual award depends on the applicant’s resources.

Repair grants are mostly discretionary awards. These grants cover items such as repairs to the fabric of the building (roofs, gutters, etc.), the eradication of rot and for lead plumbing replacement. As grants are aimed at people on low or modest incomes, applicants’ incomes are assessed to see whether they can fund the work from their own resources.

In certain exceptional circumstances the Council may be prepared to apply to the Scottish Ministers for permission to pay out Improvement Grants at a higher level, where extensive works are required to bring a house up to the standard required.

How to Apply for an Adaptation, Improvement or Repair Grant

If you think you need an adaptation, you should contact your local Technical Officer, Care & Repair Agent or Social Work Services to discuss your needs. Technical Officers and Care & Repair contacts are below.
The Council’s Technical Officers can provide information and guidance on what grants may be available. Their contact details are below.
If appropriate, they can visit to assess the grant-eligible improvement works required and explain the application process etc.
The applicant submits an application, estimates from builders and the title deeds to the property. A set of plans for the work may be required.
• The time it takes to approve a grant application varies from area to area, number of priorities and available budgets.
• Once the applicant has received a grant approval, the work is expected to be completed within 12 months. The work in progress is inspected by the Council's Technical Officers.

Who Can Apply?

The owner of a house should usually be the person who applies for a grant for improvements or repairs
If you are a tenant speak to your landlord about applying for a grant.
Agricultural and crofting tenants are treated as owners in relation to grants
A tenant can apply for a grant in some cases, depending on the type of works and the terms of their lease. Contact the Council for details
Life-renters can also apply if they are responsible for the planned works
A disabled person can apply for a grant for works to adapt their home to meet their needs, even if they are not the owner or tenant.

More information

This is a short summary of grant information. The Council’s website has detailed information on grants including eligibility and how to apply for grants:

/livinghere/housing/privatesectorhousing/

Alternatively contact TEC Services (contact information below).

The Scottish Government also has a leaflet and information on their website.

Contact Information

Information about grant is available from the local TEC’s Offices:

E-mail: tecs@highland.gov.uk

Badenoch & Strathspey

Technical Officer
The Highland Council TEC Services
Council Offices, Ruthven Road
KINGUSSIE PH21 1EJ

Tel: (01540) 664508
Fax: (01540) 661004

Caithness

Environmental Heath Officer
The Highland Council TEC Services
Council Offices, Market Square
WICK KW1 4AB

Tel: (01955) 607737
Fax: (01955) 606376