Disabled facilities grants

Disabled facilities grants are funded by central government and at a local level, thorugh a partnership with Staffordshire County Council - find out more.

In Lichfield District, disabled faciltiies grants are delivered on behalf of the council by its trading company (LWM Traded Services LTD).

Will I be eligible?

Whether you are eligible and how much you will receieve will depend on your:

• household income
• household savings over £6,000

Depending on your income, you may need to pay towards the cost of the work to the property.

Disabled children under 18 can get a grant without their parents’ income being taken into account.

Landlords can get a grant without their income and savings being taken into account. We may however request that the property is let to another disabled person if the current tenant moves within 5 years.

The maximum grant amount is £30,000.

What can I use a grant for?

Most grants pay for adaptations that help you get into and around your home and garden (e.g. ramps, lifts and wider doors) and to use your kitchen and bathroom. A grant can also pay for controls to use the heating and lighting and to make your home and garden safer.

Can I get a grant if I own my own home?

Yes. To get a grant a person with a disability must be living in your home. If so, the owner occupiers, private tenants, or landlords may be eligible for a grant. The financial assistance can help pay for necessary adaptations to the building.

Do I need to repay the grant?

Not usually, but if you are homeowner and you have a grant for more than £5,000, it may be repayable in certain circumstances, such as you moving house. This would be done by placing what is called a ‘local land charge’ on your property.

This charge stays in place for 10 years from the date the works are completed, and only needs to be repaid if you decide to sell the property during this time, subject to the council’s discretion.

The table below gives some examples of the amounts you might expect to repay:

How long does it take to get a grant?

It depends on what adaptations you need and how urgent your situation is. If you are using our support service, we will always try to process your application as soon as we can, subject to requirements and circumstances which may be outside of the service’s control.

We always comply with the statutory timescales regarding the time it takes to approve a grant and complete works.

The new government guidance recommends that we should try to complete simple adaptations (such as a stairlift) for urgent cases within 11 weeks of the occupational therapy assessment being completed. More complex works may take longer due to the works involved.