Housing grants and loans
Home energy help
For all home energy and housing enquiries, including heating, insulation improvements and housing repairs complete the home energy enquiry.
Safe, warm and dry emergency repair grant
A grant of up to £10,000 for emergency works, which can be administered quickly to remedy an urgent situation for vulnerable owner-occupiers.
Eligibility:
- applicants must be able to prove owner occupation for a minimum of 2 years
- applicants must meet the defined criteria for vulnerable
- applicants requiring works classed that will improve the thermal efficiency of a property, must apply for an Energy Repayment Loan
- applicants will only be eligible for a grant, if an Energy Repayment Loan/Home Appreciation Loan application has being declined
Eligible works are emergency repairs, defined as making the property safe and secure. Repayment of the grant is required if the property is sold or changes ownership within 10 years of the completion date.
Home Appreciation Loan
An equity release loan of up to £20,000 to fund works which are assessed as an immediate risk to the health. Home appreciation loans will only be offered in exceptional circumstances.
Eligibility:
- applicants must be vulnerable and unable to access mainstream lenders
- applicants must prove owner occupation for a minimum period of 2 years
- the applicant must have sufficient equity in the property, for example all secured borrowings (mortgage and secured personal loans) and the Home Appreciation Loan should not amount to more than 70% of the value of the property
Funding is available to carry out essential category one hazard home repairs. The loan can be used:
- to top up a disability facilities grant (DFG) where the service user is designing their own scheme
- to fund an occupational therapist approved adaptations where the service user is not eligible for a DFG
Loans are repayable on sale or change of ownership.
Handy Persons Service
These are reasonable works requested in the home to enable access in the home. For example; grab rails, bannister rails and half steps up to £1000.
Eligibility:
The applicant must be registered disabled or chronically sick, unable to access their home independently without assistance.
Work is subject to an assessment by an Occupational Therapist. The Handy Persons Service should not be used in place of a Disabled Facilities Grant application.
Relocation Assistance
The Relocation Grant will assist applicants to move to more suitable and accommodation, which provides the applicant with some security of tenure for the term of the loan. Funding will be made available up to a maximum £4,000.
Eligibility:
The applicant must eligible for a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant.
Eligible costs include professional fees (for example legal or estate agency fees), rental deposit (minimum 12 month assured shorthold tenancy), removal costs, contribution towards the cost of redecoration and floor coverings (for example carpets). Costs must be approved in advance. There will be no retrospective payments made. All payments will be for reasonable costs and evidence value for money.
Mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant
A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is provided to adapt the home of a disabled person to meet their specific needs.
The grant for the adaptation is a maximum of £30,000, less any contribution to reflect that the contribution counts towards the maximum of £30,000.
Grant repayment conditions apply, in particular where the grant is for more than £5,000 but only for a maximum charge of £10,000.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be referred by an Occupational Therapist, appointed by North East Lincolnshire Council Adult Social Services.
The DFG is subject to a test of financial resources. This test is prescribed in detail by legislation.
Adaptation will only be completed on homes which are a permanent/main residence.
Works include adaptations to enable the applicant to bathe, cook, sleep and access and exit the home. Works will be costed on a value for money basis and only those works approved by the panel will be authorised.
Discretionary Disabled Facilities Assistance
The scheme provides discretionary loan assistance to top up mandatory DFG for the provision of aids and adaptations for owner occupiers with disabilities, or provide loan assistance where an applicant is ineligible for a DFG, however they have sufficient equity to self-fund the works.
This is loan funding of up to £20,000 for cases where the £30,000 mandatory limit are exceeded and where the client was originally assessed as having a “nil contribution” from the DFG test of resources. As child applications will not have undergone a DFG Test of Resources such cases will require a financial assessment to ensure there is sufficient equity in the property, to cover the amount of the loan (see the Home Appreciation Loan for additional information). Assistance will only be available for owner occupiers.
The level of assistance will be determined by the specific circumstances of each case and may be used to fund a proportion of the contribution determined for a Mandatory DFG (e.g. where a client who would under normal circumstances be entitled to Housing Benefit is not eligible due to being in temporarily in respite care).
In cases where the applicant is ineligible for a DFG and unable to self-fund adaptations, loan funding of up to £30,000 can be provided (subject to having sufficient equity in the property).
Eligibility:
- loan assistance will also be considered for applicants (owner occupiers) where additional funding is required or the application sits outside of the DFG eligibility
- this is loan funding of up to £20,000 for cases where the £30,000 mandatory limit are exceeded
- the applicant must have sufficient equity in the property, for example all secured borrowings (mortgage and secured personal loans) and the Home Appreciation Loan should not amount to more than 70% of the value of the property
End of Life Scheme
The grant has been developed to provide assistance to applicants who are in receipt of an DS1500 certificate. The scheme provides a speed tracked service to help households, to get assistance in quickly to provide assistance in the applicants final journey. The grant provides up to £5,000. This means the works are less invasive than a traditional grant and can be completed in a matter of weeks no months. The grant also contributes to costs removing the provision and making good where necessary. Grant assistance up to a maximum of £5,000 to provide
Eligibility:
Applicants must be in receipt of an DS1500 certificate.
The scheme is aimed to provide temporary assistance to clients quickly and relatively hassle free. Eligible works can be:
- temporary shower facilities for example a shower pod or demountable shower cubicle
- rental stairlift
- modular ramp
- wash and Dry toilet facility where applicable
Existing facilities can be removed under the grant and items such as the original bath or W.C. and replaced when the adaptation is longer required by the applicant. The grant does cover making good the area where existing facilities were replaced and then reinstated. The grant does not cover costs towards redecorating areas that may be disturbed.
Oil bulk buying
We work with the Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council to offer an oil bulk buying scheme. For further information or to join visit Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council.