Home adaptations can make a big difference to the person you care for’s quality of life. They can allow them to have a lot more independence, remain in their own home for longer and stay safe. Adaptations can also have many benefits for you as their carer. They allow the person you care for to do more tasks by themselves with less need for support from you, whilst also giving you peace of mind that they are safe.
For more information about some of the most common home adaptations, take a look at our guide ‘Home adaptations to help the person you care for’.
Home adaptations can be expensive, however, and for many people the costs are so high that they simply cannot afford them. But there is financial support out there that can help.
The best place to start is by getting in touch with the local council. They provide a free service where an occupational therapist comes out to the person you care for’s home and advises which adaptations would be most beneficial for them. To find out more about this, take a look at our guide ‘Occupational therapist assessments’.
Once the need has been assessed, then you can see whether the council will be able to provide any financial support towards the adaptations needed. They will usually cover the cost of all small adaptations and they also have other financial assistance programmes such as Disabled Facilities Grants for bigger costs. To find out more, take a look at our guide ‘Financial help from your local council with home aids and adaptations’.
If you have exhausted the statutory funding available through the council, then it can be worth seeing whether there are other funds that could also help.
One potential source of funding is Independence at Home. This is a charity that provides grants for large home adaptations to people with long-term illnesses and disabilities to help improve their independence, safety and quality of life. To be eligible, the person you care for must be unable to pay for the home adaptations themselves. It is common for their grants to be used in combination with some funding from the council, as well as from other sources. You cannot apply to Independence at Home directly yourself. You must be referred by a professional working in health, social care or housing who will make the application on your behalf. Take a look at their website for a list of eligible medical conditions and adaptations that they are able to support.
There are also other smaller charitable funds that might be able to help, depending on your specific circumstances. There may be ones that support people living in your particular area, with a specific medical condition or for people who have had particular occupations. To find out more, take a look at our guide 'Grants to support you as a carer'.
There may also be some additional local funding available. To find schemes near you, a Home Improvement Agency (HIA) might be able to help. These are local organisations that provide reliable information and impartial advice to people wanting to make adaptations to their home. There are almost 200 HIAs in England, covering 82% of local authorities so it is likely there will be one near you that can help. They can check whether you are entitled to any other financial support for the adaptations you need. They can also help you to decide on the work that needs doing, get plans drawn up and employ tradespeople to do it. To find your local HIA, visit their website.
If your home adaptations mean that the property is now in a higher Council Tax band, why not look into the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme? The person you care for might be entitled to a discount on the Council Tax on their property. You can find out more on the GOV.UK website.
Any building work that is done to adapt your home due to a disability might be zero-rated, which means it is exempt from VAT. Take a look at the GOV.UK website for more details and to see if the person you care for would be eligible.
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