Disabled Facilities Grant

Overview

The Disabled Facilities Grant is a mandatory grant administered by local councils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Scotland has a separate Scheme of Assistance through local authorities). It funds essential adaptations to a disabled person's home so they can continue living there safely and independently — examples include widening doors, installing stair-lifts or level-access showers, adding ramps, adapting kitchens, and installing suitable heating or lighting controls. The statutory maximum is £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales, and £25,000 in Northern Ireland, and councils can use discretion to top up these amounts under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) Order 2002. The grant is means-tested for adults — the disabled person's and their partner's income and capital are assessed — but works for children under 18 are not means-tested and the full amount up to the ceiling can be awarded regardless of household finances. Owner-occupiers, council tenants, housing-association tenants, and private renters can all apply (with the landlord's consent where relevant), and the property must be the disabled person's main and only home, which they intend to occupy for at least five years after the grant is made. An occupational therapist typically assesses the adaptations needed before the council agrees the grant. Applications are made through the local housing authority, which holds the final decision on whether proposed work is necessary, appropriate, and reasonable given the property's age and condition.

Applies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland. Administered by Council. This page is general information; contact Council for your individual circumstances.

Rates

Eligibility criteria include

• DISABILITY
  A disabled person must live (or intend to live) in the property; disability may be physical, sensory, cognitive, or mental. The work must be necessary and appropriate to meet the disabled person's needs. ^[GOV.UK]
• HOUSING STATUS
  The applicant or their landlord must own the property, or the applicant must be a tenant (including a council or housing-association tenant) with the landlord's consent to the adaptations. ^[GOV.UK]
• INCOME
  Means-tested for adults (income and savings of the disabled person and spouse/partner considered). Grants for children aged under 18 are not means-tested. ^[GOV.UK]
• OTHER
  Local council must be satisfied the work is both necessary and reasonable, and that it is practical given the property's age and condition. Occupational therapist assessment is typically required. ^[GOV.UK]
• OTHER
  Covers essential adaptations: widening doors, installing ramps, stair-lifts, level-access showers, ground-floor bathroom extensions, adapted kitchens, heating/lighting controls suited to disability. ^[GOV.UK]
• RESIDENCE
  The property must be the disabled person's main and only home, and the applicant must intend to occupy it as their home for at least 5 years after the grant is made. ^[GOV.UK]

Sources