To apply for a Disability Facilities Grant (DFG) you, or the person you are applying for, must have 1 or more of the following:

• age-related needs
• a disability
• a long-term illness
• a cognitive impairment

You can be a:

• owner
• tenant
• landlord with a disabled tenant

The financial assessment process

Your adaptations team will guide you through the financial assessment process. Depending on where you live, this team will be from a home improvement agency (HIA) or your local district or borough council. They may ask you to do an Initial Test of Resources (ITOR). You won't have to share any documents at this stage but the information you give must be right. The team will use it to work out how much funding you may get. The ITOR will identify whether:

• you are eligible for the DFG
• you need to fund or contribute to the adaptations yourself
• you need to find extra funding options

Proving your financial situation

The Final Test of Resources (FTOR) is the more formal financial assessment. This happens at a later stage but before the works start.

During the FTOR you will need to share:

• three months bank statements for all accounts belonging to you and your partner
• evidence of all income, savings and assets for you and your partner. Savings can affect the amount of DFG you will get
• any information about other land or property owned by you or your partner

The DFG is an official document. You must make sure the information you have given is right. If your financial situation changes, you must tell your case worker. They may need to carry out a new assessment. Failure to do so may result in significant delays later in the process.

Paying towards the cost of adaptations

Once you know the cost of the works, your adaptations team will be able to tell you if you need to pay anything towards the costs.

If you get a passporting (means tested) benefit, the grant usually covers the whole cost. The benefits included are:

• Income Support ​
• Employment and Support Allowance​
• Housing Benefit ​
• guaranteed Pension Credit ​
• Jobseeker's Allowance​
• Working Tax Credit with an annual income of less than £15,050 ​
• Child Tax Credit with an annual income of less than £15,050 ​
• Universal Credit

A DFG won't affect any benefits you get.

The DFG and local land charges

You don't usually have to pay back a DFG. Sometimes, your district or borough council may place a local land charge on your home. This applies if:

• you own your home and
• the grant was for more than £5,000

If you sell or transfer your home within 10 years, they might ask you to repay some of the grant. The most they can ask you to repay is £10,000.

Your case worker will be able to tell you about this.

Applying for a new DFG

You can apply for more than 1 DFG. There is no limit on how many grants you can have, but there are limitations. For example, you cannot apply for another DFG to meet the same assessed need within 5 years. If within these 5 years your needs have changed, you may apply for another DFG. Each application is judged on its own merit.