What is a Disabled Facilities Grant?

A Disabled Facilities Grant is money from your local council towards changes to your home that help a disabled person live there more safely and independently, such as replacing a bath with a level-access shower.

• In England, the council can award up to £30,000 for a mandatory grant. Some councils offer extra help on top. (Source: GOV.UK)

• The grant is usually means-tested, so you may be asked to pay part of the cost. The council will tell you how much.

• The grant can be for an owner-occupier, a tenant or a landlord with a disabled tenant.

• Do not start any work before the council gives written approval. If work starts early, the grant may be refused.

Find out more on GOV.UK: gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants

Who may be eligible?

Only your council can decide whether you are eligible. In most cases:

1. An occupational therapist (OT) assesses your needs and recommends what changes are needed.

2. The council carries out a means test to work out whether you need to pay towards the work. (Children under 18 are not means-tested.)

3. The council decides whether to approve a grant, what work it covers and how much it pays.

Where to start:

Ask for an occupational therapist (OT) assessment:

• Cornwall: Cornwall Council Adult Social Care, 0300 1234 131, or the online form at cornwall.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/adult-social-care/request-help-for-an-adult/

• Home Solutions, for adaptation and grant questions: 01872 224707

• Plymouth: Plymouth City Council / Livewell Southwest (Adult Social Care), 01752 668000

• Torbay: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, 01803 219700

• Devon: Devon Care Direct, 0345 155 1007

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Want things to move faster?

A private OT can give advice sooner, but your council may still need its own OT to decide what the grant covers, so ask your council before paying. A private OT's fee can sometimes be included in the grant if your council agrees and the grant is approved. Check with your council before you book, as you may have to pay the fee yourself if the grant isn't approved.

Rules differ by council. Please ask your council whether you can choose your own contractor.

How we help, from OT referral to completion

1. You contact your council or OT. An occupational therapist visits and recommends the adaptations you need.

2. You get in touch with us. If your council lets you choose your own contractor, call or email us with your OT's recommendations and any council paperwork.

3. Free survey visit. We come to your home, look at your bathroom, listen to what you and your carers need, and take measurements.

4. We send an itemised quote. It follows the OT's recommendations and the council's schedule of works, with drawings where needed, plus copies of our TrustMark registration and insurance. Councils usually ask for two or three quotes.

5. The council decides. You send the quotes to the council. Once it approves the grant in writing, we agree a start date with you. We usually start within 2 months of approval, and sooner for urgent jobs. We never start before written approval.

6. We carry out the work. We keep you informed and keep the room tidy and safe. We arrange Building Control where it is needed, and electrical work is certified by a NICEIC-registered electrician. If anything unexpected comes up, we ask the council to agree it before we do it.

7. Completion and sign-off. The council officer or OT checks the work. We give you a full handover, the certificates and your warranty paperwork.

8. Payment. The council pays the grant under its own rules, usually after the work is checked and signed off. If the means test shows you need to pay a contribution, the council will tell you how and when.

A typical job takes about 5 working days on site. Every home is different, so we will confirm the timing for your job.

What's included

Every adaptation is designed around the person who will use it. Depending on what your OT recommends and what the council approves, the work can include:

• Level-access wet rooms: a level floor with no step into the shower

• Low-level shower rooms: the step into the shower tray is 40mm or less

• Grab rails, placed where you need them

• Altro Pisces safety flooring: slip-resistant and hard-wearing

• PVC wall cladding: waterproof and easy to keep clean

• Easy-to-use electric showers

• Geberit AquaClean Mera wash-and-dry toilets

• Plumbing, including moving or replacing pipework

• Removing the old bath or shower and taking away all the waste

Optional extras (not part of the standard installation):

• Shower seats

• Half-height shower screens, so a carer can help without getting soaked

Our standard finish is mid-range and hard-wearing, chosen to look good and last.

The council decides which items the grant covers. If you would like anything that is not in the approved schedule, we will quote for it separately so you can decide.