Home Improvement Grants

Financial Assistance for Home Improvement, Repairs or Adaptation
A number of different financial assistance options for home improvements, repair and adaptations are available within the provisions of the Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy including:

Disabled Facilities Grant.
Renovation Grant.
Housing Repair Assistance Grant.
Landlord Grants.
Handyman Service. (Through partnership working.)
Finance Advice. (Through partnership working.)
Government Home Energy Efficiency Scheme Grants (Through partnership working.)

Disabled Facilities Grant
This is a mandatory grant made under the provisions of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, (the 1996 Act) as amended by the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002, and is available for a range of works needed to help a disabled person to remain living more independently in their home. This grant is also available to owners of park homes/mobile homes requiring disabled adaptations. The grant is for:

essential works to give better freedom of movement into and around the home;
access to essential facilities within the home;
the provision of essential facilities where necessary;
certain works to make the dwelling or building safe for the disabled occupant and other persons residing with them.

The grant will only be awarded for works that are:

necessary and appropriate to meet the disabled persons needs as assessed through consultation with Cheshire County Council's Occupational Therapist's service;
reasonable and practicable depending on the age and condition of the property, as determined by the Council’s Authorised Officers and other partnership member's i.e. Care & Repair Agency, Cheshire County Council Social Services.

The applicant must be the owner or qualifying tenant of the property to be adapted. A landlord may apply on behalf of a disabled tenant. All applications for Disabled Facilities Grants are subject to a statutory test of resources prescribed by the Government. Only the resources of the disabled occupant and their spouse or partner are taken into account. If the disabled occupant is less than 18 years of age the resources of their parent(s) are then relevant. The amount of grant awarded is the amount needed to meet the costs of the work over and above the applicant’s calculated contribution, subject to a maximum of £25,000.

At its discretion, the Council may, in addition to a Disabled Facility Grant, offer grant assistance to help an individual move to and or/adapt a different property if it is not reasonable or practicable to adapt the present home. The Council may offer a grant of up to £5,000 to assist with house purchase/relocation expenses. This will not prevent an application being made to carry out essential works to adapt the new home if necessary.

Renovation Grant
This is a discretionary grant. An owner-occupier or qualifying tenant may make an application for this type of grant, subject to the eligibility requirements outlined in Appendix A1 below. The main purpose for which a renovation grant will be available is to make or maintain a dwelling fit for human habitation.

The maximum amount of renovation grant available to eligible owner-occupiers and tenants in unfit properties with a Council Tax banding of A or B is £20,000, and in unfit properties with a Council Tax banding of C or above is £10,000, subject to the scale of eligible works determined to be necessary. The maximum amount of renovation grant available to eligible owner-occupiers and tenants to maintain a dwelling in Council Tax Band A or B fit for human habitation, is £10,000. Applicants for renovation grants must be in receipt of an income related benefit/tax credit, or be registered disabled; with a total household income not exceeding £14,600 per year., Applicants, including all joint owners, will be subject to a test of resources.

Home Repair Assistance Grant
This is a discretionary grant and provides practical help for low income older people (over 60 years of age) and the vulnerable, for owner occupiers and private sector tenants in the form of either a grant or the provision of materials for small scale works of repair, improvement or adaptation to a dwelling, house boat or mobile home (Grants for tenants will only be available for items of work outside the responsibility of the landlord.)

The main purposes for which a Home Repair Assistance Grant is available are:

For repair and improvement to secure the basic fabric of the property
Small scale adaptation works to enable elderly or disabled persons to remain living at home
For the provision of fire precautions, means of escape from fire and crime prevention measures

The maximum assistance available to eligible applicants is £5,000. This can be in a single or multiple applications, however, the total must not exceed the maximum payable.

Applicants for home repair assistance grants must be aged 60 or over, or be disabled or infirm or be in receipt of an income related benefit/tax credit; with a total household income of less than £14,600. All qualifying applicants will be subject to a test of resources.

Landlord Grants
This type of grant is available to assist private landlords to bring their dwellings up to a satisfactory standard in terms of fire safety, repair and comfort and to bring empty properties back into use. This grant is discretionary and will be awarded to:

Make the property fit for human habitation
Carry out works to make a House in Multiple Occupation fit for the number of occupants
Renovation/modernisation of property that has been empty for at least 6 months
Convert a building for residential use or a House in Multiple Occupation

The Council's current policy with regard to Empty Properties has been reviewed and was adopted on 7 October 2004. This Strategy directs the Authority's approach to take action to bring unused properties back into residential use and offer affordable rented accommodation.

A grant of up to 50% of the costs of eligible works to a maximum of £20,000 per self-contained unit of accommodation is available, subject to budget constraints, where properties are deemed to be unfit and they are subject to a restricted rental income, or for conversions, and the landlord agrees to give the Council the option of nomination rights and to let the units at an affordable rent. In cases where such agreement is not provided, grant assistance will be offered at 25% of the eligible expense for unfit properties or for conversions up to a maximum of £10,000 per self-contained unit of accommodation.

Handyman Service
The Council partly funds Arena Housing Association- Care & Repair Northwich to provide a handyman service to provide small scale repair and maintenance services, crime prevention (home security) and energy efficiency measures to eligible clients on the basis that the client pays the costs of any materials used and the labour is provided free of charge. A voluntary donation towards the labour costs is requested from those clients who do not receive an income related benefit. Eligible clients must be owner-occupiers and aged 60 or over or be disabled.

Financial Advice
The Council is not currently in a position to offer direct financial advice to applicants, however, older or disabled homeowners and private tenants, and vulnerable households on low incomes may obtain advice from our partners within the Care and Repair Agency. The main areas of such advice include:

Funding for works
Welfare rights advice. (maximising income)
Advice and help in obtaining local authority grants
Charitable fund applications
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme grants
Benefit agency funds

Referrals to Home Energy Efficiency Scheme Grants
Enquirers in relation to energy efficiency works who may not fulfil the eligibility requirements for other grant aid will be referred to the Cheshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (CHEEAC) who operate on a partnership basis with the council to identify funding and subsidised schemes for such works including:

Loft insulation
Cavity wall insulation
Energy efficient heating appliances and systems
Provision of energy efficient appliances and practices

Note: Work carried out before grant approval is issued will not be eligible for financial assistance.

If you would like further information regarding the contents of this document please contact:
Housing Strategy and Regeneration Section
Vale Royal Borough Council
Wyvern House
The Drumber
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 1AH

Grants Officer : 01606 867832
or Technical Administrative Officer : 01606 867686

If you would like further information regarding the services offered by Arena Care and Repair please contact them at:
Care & Repair Vale Royal
Arena Options
Unit 16
Meridian House
Road One Winsford Industrial Estate
Winsford CW7 3QG

Tel: 0845 142 2064
Email: crvale@arena-housing.com

If you would like further information regarding energy efficiency matters please contact:
Cheshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre
9 Grange Lane
Winsford
Cheshire
Tel: 0800 512012

Last modified: 29 July 2008