Disabled Facilities Grant

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a means-tested grant for people with a permanent disability of any sort – including physical and learning disabilities, sensory impairments and mental illness. 

It will enable you to make changes to your home that will help you to continue living there, such as installing ramps and rails, stairlifts, or accessible bathroom additions.

If you want to know how the grant is calculated and paid, check if you're eligible, or find out how to apply for one, our guide can help. We also cover the alternative financial aids available to you if a DFG isn't an option.

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Who qualifies for a Disabled Facilities Grant?

To get a DFG, you or someone living in the house must:

• be disabled
• intend to live in the property during the grant period (usually five years, but this can be shorter, such as if the person is terminally ill).

The person who submits the application must be the owner, tenant or landlord of the property.

What does a Disabled Facilities Grant cover?

A DFG could be used to fund work such as:

• installing a walk-in shower
• installing a stairlift
• converting a downstairs room to an accessible toilet or bathroom
• widening doorways
• fitting hand rails
• making outside steps easier to use, or installing ramps
• improving central heating, or adapting lighting controls to make them easier to use.

Our guide to bathroom aids and adaptations explains the options available to improve accessibility in your washrooms

Is a Disabled Facilities Grant means-tested?

Yes. The DFG is a means-tested grant for people aged 18 years or over, so the amount you could get depends on your household income and savings.

A means test looks at your income and savings, together with those of your spouse or partner, if you have one. The first £6,000 of household savings are exempted from the means test. 

Each local authority has its own policy for the means test, so it’s not possible to provide information about the precise limits for income and savings. Contact your local authority to find out more about their means test for a DFG.

The amount you can get will also depend on the cost of the work that needs doing. Some people might get the total cost of adaptations paid for; others might have to contribute towards the cost.

In order to get the funding, the council must decide that the work is (a) necessary and appropriate to meet your needs, and (b) reasonable and can be done, taking into account the age and condition of the property.

Other things to note:

• The DFG is available whether you rent your property or own your home
• If you’re a local authority or housing association tenant and you apply for help with adaptations, the local authority/housing association will decide whether to carry out the work itself, or refer you for a DFG.

How much can you get for a Disabled Facilities Grant?

In 2022-23:

• In England, up to £30,000 is available
• In Northern Ireland, up to £25,000 is available
• In Scotland, a DFG is not available, but there is similar support for equipment and adaptations available. See the Scottish Government's page on independent living for more
• In Wales, up to £36,000 is available.

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How is the Disabled Facilities Grant paid?

How the grant is paid will depend on your council and the nature of the works being done. It may either be paid in full when the work is completed, or paid in instalments at various stages throughout the works.

Your council may give you a cheque, or it may pay the contractor directly. These details can, and should, be discussed before work commences.

Do I have to pay back a Disabled Facilities Grant?

You normally don't have to repay a DFG; however, there are some circumstances in which you may need to partially repay the grant. You can apply for multiple grants; each application will be judged on its own merits.

Moving home

When you sign a grant application, you will also have to sign a certificate to say you intend to stay living there for at least five years once the work is complete. However, this only needs to be an ‘intention’ to stay. If you subsequently wanted to downsize, or move into a care home because your circumstances have changed, the grant shouldn’t be reclaimed.

If you receive a grant of more than £5,000 and own your home, some councils will place a local land charge on the property. This means that if you move within 10 years, you may need to repay some of the grant.

Successive grants

If your needs change following the completion of work using a DFG, you are entitled to apply for another grant as long as the combined total doesn’t exceed the statutory limit.

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How do I apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant?

1. Get an assessment

Find out what changes are needed to your property and how much these will cost. If you’ve already had an assessment from the council (either an occupational therapy (OT) assessment or a full needs assessment), this will list recommendations. 

If you need an assessment, your council will visit to assess if your home is suitable for adaptation and what is needed. There might be a long waiting list, in which case, ask if you can use a private OT. You should be able to include the cost of this in your grant application, but check with your council first.

The council will normally need two written estimates for the cost of the work. They may be able to provide a list of builders or give advice about employing one.

2. Complete a DFG application form

This is available from your local authority or, in Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive. This must include a description of your proposed adaptations and two estimates of the cost, together with details of any other fees and charges.

You may be able to get help with the application process from a Home Improvement Agency. 

3. Provide documentation

You must be the owner or tenant of the property, or intend to become the owner or tenant. There must be a disabled person living in the property. You will need to provide documentation to prove either of these scenarios, which must be submitted with the DFG application. 

• Written consent: if you are renting a property, the owner must provide written agreement for the work to be carried out. If the property is co-owned, then all parties must confirm their agreement in writing.
• Certificate: if you are the applicant, you must complete a certificate that states you will be living in the property for at least five years after the work has been completed, unless you’re unable to due to health problems. This may be difficult if you are a private tenant and you have an assured shorthold tenancy.

4. Apply for planning permission

You will need to apply separately for any necessary planning permission or building regulations approval (unless this is done by a Home Improvement Agency or other organisation).

5. Submit the application

You’ll need to return the completed application to your local council for approval before work starts on the property. Be warned that if you start work before getting council approval, your application could be turned down. The local authority should respond, in writing, within six months of the application date.

How to appeal against a DFG decision

If you think you have been unfairly refused a DFG, or you’re unhappy with how you’ve been treated by your council, read our article about challenging a local authority decision.

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Grants in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) will assess how practical it is to have proposed adaptations undertaken, taking into account the age and condition of the proposed dwelling.

The NIHE also carries out housing adaptations to meet the needs of its tenants, as well as providing funding for Housing Association properties. Social housing providers can also offer an agreed range of minor housing adaptations without the need for a Health and Social Care assessment.

If you’re an NIHE tenant, you can contact your local office for further information. If you’re a Housing Association tenant, you should contact your landlord. Find out more about adaptations and grants in Northern Ireland.

Scotland

The system for arranging adaptations on Scheme of Assistance is similar to the Disabled Facilities Grant. You should apply to your local council, and your needs will be assessed, usually by an occupational therapist.

The amount available depends on the local authority. Advice and information about adaptations for disabled people in Scotland is available from Care and Repair Scotland.

What are the alternatives if I’m not eligible for a DFG?

Local authority funding

Following an assessment, you will be given a care plan that explains the recommendations about the adaptations and other support you need. If the care plan says you need professional care as well as home adaptations, you will have the option of having a full financial assessment.

If the care plan recommends only home adaptations, you will have the opportunity to apply for funding depending on the cost of the adaptations and where in the UK you live:

• If you live in England and the recommended adaptations cost under £1,000, social services often provide and fit these for free. If you’ve been allocated a personal budget to manage your own care, adaptations might be funded out of this instead.
• If you live in Northern Ireland or Scotland, local authorities might charge for minor adaptations.
• If you live in Wales, local authorities might charge for minor adaptations, but any charges must be ‘reasonable’ and have regard to your ability to pay. For small adaptations, you may be able to apply for funding under the Rapid Response Adaptation Programme, which is administered by the charity Care & Repair Cymru. You must be referred for this by a health or social care professional.

For adaptations costing more than £1,000, these will usually be covered by a DFG.

Charitable grants

Some charitable organisations offer grants to people in need, though most will only provide help to anyone who can't get financial support elsewhere, so you must have exhausted all other possibilities. Most charitable grants have specific eligibility criteria, such as if you have a very low income, or a specific illness or disability.

Some charities or benevolent societies, such as The Charity for Civil Servants or The Soldiers’ Charity, are associated with particular jobs or professions. If you or your partner worked in a particular trade or profession, it’s worth checking if there is a related charity or benevolent fund that might be able to help.

Disability charities, such as Scope, may be able to advise on the availability of local grants that could help with home adaptations. Meanwhile, Turn2us allows you to search for charitable grants by postcode.

More advice and support for home adaptations

For more information, contact your local Home Improvement Agency (HIA). 

These small, not-for-profit organisations funded by local and central government, can provide information and support to help older, disabled and vulnerable people live well at home. They help with planning and arranging home improvements, and with applications for government grants.

An HIA’s advice and first visit are free. If you decide to accept further HIA help, most agencies will subsequently charge a fee. If you’re eligible for a local authority grant, that could be used to pay the HIA fee.

HIAs or equivalent agencies can be found all over the UK:

• In England, search for them on the Home Improvement Agencies website.
• In Northern Ireland, there are two HIAs: the Gable Project and Fold Housing Trust (Staying Put Department). Find out more on the Housing Executive website.
• In Scotland, Care and Repair Scotland provides the equivalent service across the country.
• In Wales, check the Care and Repair Cymru ‘In your area’ page, which lists relevant Care & Repair agencies, depending on where you live.