Home improvement grant..........Help please.

lynzpower

Doozergirl wrote:

Home improvement grants are available from some councils for home owners on low incomes.

If your mother already lives in council accomodation, then a grant isn't the right thing as the council should just pay for essential works. I bet lynzpower will be able to tell you the best thing to do.

you called

right Im just having a dig around and Ill come back to the thread and let you lot know what I find

lynzpower

Ok

Ive had a thorough read of this, and my feelings are as follows

YES get your MP involved, also the ward councillor thats responsible for her area. As she is infirm and elderly its imperitive that the duty of care is shown towards her, and that extra stress does not exacerbate her situation in terms of her age. I would also get someone like age concern or shelter ( both excellent in my experience) involved for added power behind her case. You want as many people kicking off as possible Id say. You may also think about having a word with your GP and getting a letter stating that she is unable to be there unsupported. Additionally you might want to consider speaking to your local social services dept, who may assess ( which is useful for the housing dept) whether she is able to stay at home with support. If they say no, and the GP says no, then the housing dept will/ should consider whether this whole amount will still stand. Additionally tjhe local authority has a "duty of care" find out about this as much as you can . If you feel that they are not providing a duty of care, then speak to the local authority ombudsman.
If the social services dept are able to provide homecare, then do consider this, and consider any impact that direct payments may have on her financial situation where she could choose a carer herself and the SSD will give her the cash to pay the carer direct. Any equipment such as rails inthe bathroom anything like that are provided by the Social servcies dept.

Additionally, if the paper work cannot be located, under the freedom of information act, whatever papers and letters have been given to her you are entitled to a copy of. If you dont get them speak to the information commissioner and lodge a complaint. And of course CC your Mp, your councillor, and I would also write into the Guradian Society Section who tend to get to the bottom of things by kicking up a stink .

squibbs25

Hi Lynzpower,

Thanks for the advice, but somehow the posts seem to have gotten confused!

I'm the op and *sparkle* responded but also wanted to find out how to get the grant!

I'll put the record straight...............................................

Nan owns here own home ( lived there approx 55 years), Applied for a Renovation Grant for updating the house which she sucessfully recieved.
(see 1st post)
Now she needs to move and the local council have stated that she is in breech of the housing grants, construction and regeneration act 1996.
When she applied for the grant something was mentioned about the repayment amount decreasing with every year, unfortunatly we do not have any evidence of this in writing.

I have been in touch with the council again today and i'm waiting for a letter that has been sent stating that she owes just over £43k.

Is there any way that you can help us lynzpower?

clutton_2

ploughing back through council's planning applications/home improvement grants minutes to find when the grant was approved might well show the original conditions. i would get the local district councillor onto this first - local knowledge and all that. good luck

lynzpower

squibbs25 wrote:

Hi Lynzpower,

Thanks for the advice, but somehow the posts seem to have gotten confused!

I'm the op and *sparkle* responded but also wanted to find out how to get the grant!

I'll put the record straight...............................................

Nan owns here own home ( lived there approx 55 years), Applied for a Renovation Grant for updating the house which she sucessfully recieved.
(see 1st post)
Now she needs to move and the local council have stated that she is in breech of the housing grants, construction and regeneration act 1996.
When she applied for the grant something was mentioned about the repayment amount decreasing with every year, unfortunatly we do not have any evidence of this in writing.

I have been in touch with the council again today and i'm waiting for a letter that has been sent stating that she owes just over £43k.

Is there any way that you can help us lynzpower?

The bit I wrote before was aimed towards you actaully, sorry it does seem to be rather confused

I think clutton has a point about the minutes, but all the other stuff I wrote still stands

Could you PM me with the borough and I can have a dig about and see whats what?

clutton_2

now that i think about it, i had a home improvement grant several years back, and there was no graduation in the amount i owed if a sale took place within the specified number of years. Also, on another forum i use with particular reference to property, i cannot ever remember anyone talking about graded-repayments. I think councils used to say you do not have to repay it if you lived there for 3 years, but, i seem to recall in the depths of my memory that it was increased to 5 ?

Unless i dreamt all this !!

squibbs25

Hi lynzpower, i have pm'd you.
Many thanks.

pickles_pink

Are these grants still available?

PasturesNew

pickles_pink wrote: »

Are these grants still available?

These grants are available across the country, but there are rules/regulations on what they will cover and if you qualify.

They tend to be targetted at people on low incomes, pensioners, etc who are living in sub-standard housing but who own their own homes.

To qualify you usually need to be in one of their target groups and to have work needed that is on their list of jobs to be done. So you can't choose what needs doing, but can look down their list of approved jobs. e.g. you can't get central heating fitted because you have none if the list only says grants are for a new roof or loft insulation.

These days they tend to concentrate on roofing and insulation.

Also, you have to have lived in the house X years. And you have to continue living in the house for Y years afterwards.

Also, the money runs out each year. They start with a pot, once it's gone, it's gone.

For your area the relevant page to read is:
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Housing/Private-Housing/grants-and-loans-for-private-housing.en

Note near the bottom the Govt "warm front" scheme. That is the main one these days.

Warm front: http://www.warmfront.co.uk/

pickles_pink

Hi pastures

my thread on this is:-

Hey peeps :j

Has anyone heard of a grant for improving owned properties that predate (I think 1920).

My elderly Nan lives in a 1900 built house owned unencumbered but its falling around her ears.

I'm not in a finacial position to help and a mortgage is out of the question on her pension.

I contacted her local borough who denied knowlege of such a thing and said the was some help from charities like help the aged but it would be minimal. (she'd hate this - she referes to people her age as fogies - I'm sure she still thinks shes a teenager, bless her:A )