Financial Assistance with Major Repairs

In this section please find information on the following;

Am I eligible for assistance?
What is a Repairing Responsibility?
What works are eligible for assistance?
What works are eligible for financial assistance?
How do I apply for financial assistance?
What financial assistance could I get?
Does Highland Council have to give me financial assistance?
Hardship Assistance

Am I eligible for assistance?

Financial assistance with eligible, assessed repairs is available through the Scheme to homeowners, shared equity homeowners, and private tenants without a repairing responsibility, although such tenants do need to get consent from the owner.

The Scheme places initial responsibility for paying for repairs and improvements firmly with those responsible for the upkeep of the property, offering advice, signposting and practical support to assist. We do not offer financial assistance for repairs and improvements to landlords.

What is a Repairing Responsibility?

Some private tenancies have what is known as a Repairing Responsibility. This means that the tenant is generally responsible for repairs and maintenance of their rented property and this most often applies for long term tenancies and life rents. These tenants qualify for assistance under the Scheme of assistance.

The majority of short assured tenancies do not have a repairing responsibility and your responsibilities should have been made clear to you when you signed for your tenancy. If you are in any doubt about which sort of tenancy you have, you should check your agreement or contact your landlord or agent. We cannot use the Scheme of Assistance to help tenants whose Landlords should be maintaining and repairing the property on your behalf.

If your landlord should be maintaining and repairing your property and is failing to do so, you can contact the Private Rented Housing Panel for help. They are an independent Panel with responsibility for dealing with repair or rent disputes between Landlords and Tenants in the Private Sector.

What works are eligible for assistance?

Structural Stability
Dampness
Rot/Infestation
Natural/Artificial Light/Ventilation
Water Supply
Electricity Supply
Provision of Bath/Shower/Wash Basin/Sink
Provision of Dry/Water Closet
Drainage
Cooking Facilities
Access

What works are eligible for financial assistance?

Where necessary, the Technical Officer will carry out a Property Condition Assessment using the list of eligible works.

The property condition assessment tests your property against the various elements of disrepair, and records the scale and extent of that disrepair.

The assessment records a score which tells us how badly your property is affected, and allows us to prioritise applications to make sure that assistance is targeted towards the worst cases of disrepair.

In cases where the assessment score exceeds a set threshold, financial assistance in the form of grant may be offered but not before other options have been explored, such as the owner using their savings or exploring mainstream borrowing where appropriate.

How do I apply for financial assistance?

When the Technical Officer writes to you outlining the recommended works, you will also be sent an application pack for financial assistance.

The applicant will be required to get quotes for the work and these will be checked against a benchmark figure. The benchmark is in place to ensure that works generally cost the anticipated amount and allows us to identify quotes that are significantly high or low. This protects both the Council and the applicant against unnecessarily high costs or costs that are too low to guarantee a good job.

The Technical Officer will also carry out an assessment of the applicant’s financial circumstances to establish what level of assistance required. This assessment is called a Test of Resources.

What financial assistance could I get?

Applicants would be expected in the first instance to make any contribution using income or savings they control, or using mainstream lending products

The level of award we can make will be dependant on the outcome of the Test of Resources which assesses the the applicant’s income, their spouse or partner’s, any other part owner of the property and a proportion of the income of anyone else resident in the house unless they formally lodge with a tenancy agreement.

The Highland Council have set a review threshold of £20,000 on eligible works. Generally, applicants whose properties need more works than this will have their case reviewed by their Area Housing and Property Manager and alternatives to the proposals looked at, including alternative housing options.

Does Highland Council have to give me financial assistance?

No. Financial assistance with major repairs is discretionary which means that we have no obligation to help homeowners pay for repairs to their properties. However, we are committed to assisting with properties that are in a significant state of disrepair, and will do what we can to assist financially with repairs.

There is no minimum level of financial assistance. It may be, following the Test of Resources, that the assessment finds that you have the capacity to fund the works entirely. In this case, no financial assistance will be given although advice and practical assistance will still be available.

Awards are based on the availability of funding, the priority rating of the applicant/works, and the minimum specification required to meet the assessed need.

The Highland Council is obliged to regulate grant conditions by registering any award with the Register of Sasines. This means that we will place a charge on the title deed of the property in order to recover grant if a repayment event (ie the property changes hands) occurs within 10 years of the award. Follow this link to look in detail at the Grant Conditions.

You should not start work before your grant has been approved – we cannot pay you retrospectively.

Hardship Support