The service helps people adapt or improve their homes to enable them to be more independent, or their carer to manage more easily.

The service has 3 parts, all located in our Housing Department. They are:

Our Adaptations Agency

First the Agency will introduce you to our Occupational Therapy service. This will work with you to identify what kinds of equipment or adaptations would alleviate the problems you face.

Depending on your agreement, the Agency may then:

• draw up a full specification for the works needed;
• appoint an architect if required who will apply for Planning Permission and Building Regulation approval if needed;
• employ a Council approved contractor to carry out the works;
• supervise the contractors whilst they carry out the works right through to completion;
• deal with any problems with the works or contractor that may arise;
• deal with payments to the contractor;
• ensure that the works have been carried out to a satisfactory standard;
• obtain all the certificates that may be needed;
• there will be a defects liability period of 12 months from completion of the work.

Our Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) team

A Disabled Facilities Grant helps towards the cost of adapting your home to help you to be more independent or your carer manage more easily. This may be getting about your home, doing everyday tasks such as bathing, going up and down stairs, or getting in and out of the house.

If you need any alteration (we call it an "adaptation") to your home to help you to be more independent or your carer to manage more easily, then a Disabled Facilities Grant may provide funding for this.

The grant is provided for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement into and around your house so that you can use the essential facilities in it, for example:

• taking a bath out and installing a level access shower
• providing a downstairs toilet or bathroom
• widening doorways and putting in ramps
• installing a stair-lift or through floor lift to help you access facilities in your house
• improved access to enable the disabled person to care for a child or spouse etc.
• ensuring the safety of the disabled person by, for example, fitting safety glass in doors and windows

Other financial assistance
The Council and other organisations can, in some circumstances, offer financial assistance towards the cost of improving your home, carrying out repairs or adapting a home for a disabled person.

A Home Appreciation Loan (HAL) is an equity release loan without monthly repayments to help homeowners to afford the work needed to bring their properties up to a decent standard.