Private home owners and tenants in the Harrogate district are being offered greater help to adapt or repair their properties.
The borough council is improving the assistance available as part of its commitment to ensure homes across the district meet the needs of residents.
Support is available for some repairs, adaptations or improvements.
The council already has a legal duty to provide help for people who need to make alterations to their properties for the benefit of a disabled resident.
These are called disabled facilities grants (DFGs) and may be used to improve access to/from and inside a house by paying for things like ramps, stair lifts or through-floor lifts.
The maximum grant available is currently £30,000, but the council has decided to increase this by offering a ‘top-up’ of £10,000 for eligible home owners and private tenants.
Additional changes to the DFG means the council is:
- Scrapping the means test for adaptions costing less than £5,000
- Providing extra assistance for other repair, improvement or energy-efficiency work
- Providing financial support for someone to move to a more suitable property
- Providing assistance to eligible charities for certain adaptations
Assistance for owner-occupiers on low incomes will also be offered with loans up to £5,000 for essential or emergency repairs.
Separately, households with an income of less than £35,000 a year may qualify for a grant to boost the heat efficiency of their homes with additional insulation or a new boiler install.
The money is available as part of the Better Homes Yorkshire project.
Harrogate council has outlined the additional support in its housing assistance policy which was developed as a result of feedback from residents, charities and partners.
Councillor Mike Chambers, cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said:
Everyone in the Harrogate district deserves a decent roof over their head.
The additional support we’ve agreed for eligible home owners and tenants shows how determined we are to do all we can to improve the quality of housing.
I encourage people to seek help when they need to make changes to their home to benefit a disabled resident or to make a property warmer and healthier.
We can provide both advice and financial assistance.
More information can be found on the council website at https://www.harrogate.gov.uk/info/20122/grants/313/disabled_facilities_grant
