You may be entitled to a disabled facilities grant if you have a disability and need adaptations carried out to make your home more suitable. The work funded by the grant should make it easier for you to manage and move around in your home. 

You can only get a disabled facilities grant if an Occupational therapist recommends it. You can get up to £25,000 for a disabled facilities grant. In some circumstances, this award can be increased by a further £25,000 at the discretion of the Housing Executive and with approval from the Department for Communities.  The Disabled Facilities Grant is not affected by the funding cuts to other NIHE housing grants. 

Type of work

A disabled facilities grant will usually only cover work recommended by an Occupational Therapist. You may be able to get other work carried out if the Housing Executive and your health trust agree to it.  You might be entitled to a grant if your Occupational Therapist believes you you need to:

• improve access to a bathroom, living room or bedroom
• install bathroom facilities
• adapt kitchen facilities to make preparing and cooking food easier
• adapt lighting and heating controls
• improve the heating system

Owner occupiers

You can apply for a disabled facilities grant if you own your home. You must be able to prove that you own the property or that you are about to buy the property. You must also be able to prove that:

• you have a disability, or
• you are applying for a person with a disability, who will be living with you.

Landlords and tenants

A disabled facilities grant can be paid to adapt a privately rented property as long as the landlord assures that the property will be available for the person to live in for at least the next 5 years. Tenants who apply will need to get their landlord's permission. 

Help with your application

You can get help from your local Housing Executive Grants Office at any stage of your application. If you are an older person or you have special needs you may be able to get help from external agencies like Shelter NI [1] or Radius Housing Association [2].

Applying for the grant

You can contact your local Health & Social Care Trust, GP or social worker to start the process of applying for a grant.  If you have questions about the process contact your nearest Housing Executive grants office.
Maximum payment The maximum paid out in a Disabled Facilities Grant is normally £25,000.  In rare circumstances, this can be increased to £50,000.  The grant is income-based so you may have to make a contribution to the costs of the adaptations. The money will not be paid until

• the work has been completed
• the OT and NIHE are satisfied with the quality of the work and
• you have given NIHE all of the receipts and certificates for work done.

You can get some of the money before all the work has completed if the Grants Manager approves this payment.