Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)

If you or someone you live with is disabled, a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) may help pay for an adaptation.

A DFG is money from the council to adapt the home of a person with a disability to enable them to continue to live there. A grant is offered when Hartlepool Borough Council considers that the changes are necessary and appropriate to meet specific needs and that the work proposed is considered reasonable and practicable.

DFGs are mandatory grants for essential adaptations to give disabled people support to live as independently as possible. The legislation governing DFGs in England and Wales is the 1996 Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act.

Typical works covered by a mandatory grant include:

• installation of stairlifts
• bathroom and kitchen adaptations
• installation of ramps
• extensions

Mandatory DFGs are subject to a maximum of £30,000 per application. The grant is means tested for disabled adults. Means testing for disabled children does not apply.

To begin the process you will first need to contact the Duty Team at the Council to arrange for an assessment to take place. Once an Occupational Therapist has completed an assessment and you require specific works to be undertaken via a DFG your case will be passed to the Housing Services department.

You can apply for a DFG if you are:

• The owner of the property. However, you do not need to be the disabled person, for example the parents of a disabled child would make the grant application;
• The tenant of a property. 

Further Information:

The Duty Team can be contacted on 01429 523872 or by email at socialservices@hartlepool.gov.uk

Housing Services can be contacted on 01429 284331 or by email at snh@hartlepool.gov.uk

The Council has produced an Adaptations Policy for 2010 - 2013

You can download a copy of the leaflet or factsheet for further information