Grants available for homes improvements & energy efficiency

nannylol · 16 January 2008 at 3:16PM

hi i am registered disabled and have trouble parking my car outside my home due to volume of cars in my road, i have asked the council about dropping my Kerb so i can park in my driveway, they have told me it will cost approx £1.000 as i am on benefits this is way beyond what i can afford can anyone tell me if there is an Organisation or grant available to help me with these costs please i would be grateful for any advice given thankyou

Chris_Evas · 16 January 2008 at 4:17PM

Marga wrote: »

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHETHER THERE ARE GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR ESSENTIAL HOUSE REPAIRS?
I HAVE JUST MADE A CLAIM FOR JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE - PREVIOUSLY I HAVE BEEN A FULL-TIME CARER FOR QUITE A WHILE - LIVING OFF A SMALL AMOUNT OF SAVINGS ETC., BUT NOT CLAIMING ANYTHING IN BENEFITS - RIGHT UP TO THE START OF THIS YEAR WHEN I PUT IN FOR JOB SEEKERS.

I DON'T HAVE ANY SAVINGS ETC., BUT NEED TO GET SOME ESSENTIAL REPAIRS DONE TO MY PROPERTY. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LEAK IN THE ROOF SOMEWHERE - POSSIBLY MISSING SLATES? DURING THE RECENT RAINY / SEVERE WEATHER THIS HAS RESULTED IN PART OF THE CEILING COMING DOWN IN THE KITCHEN. IT HAS PROBABLY BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE AND HAS ALSO AFFECTED THE WOODEN WINDOW FRAMES.

I AM NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE BECAUSE THE INSURANCE PEOPLE WOULD NOT COVER ME WHEN I APPLIED AS THE ROOF WAS NOT SOUND - SO IT IS A BIG PROBLEM. ANY IDEAS FROM ANYONE OUT THERE WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.

Hi,
I dont know what part of the country you live in, but I suggest you ring your local council, explain the situation you are in and ASK what help is available to you. The cost of a phone call could give you peace of mind. Best of Luck

andrew_xlb · 23 January 2008 at 9:26AM

Hi there,

I own a house in the South West, that my parents live in (and contribute towards the mortgage). I live up around London, but want to get some work done on my property.

My dad is disabled, and currently there is no downstairs bathroom - I would like to install a WC and sink in an existing utility room - and heard about these HIA grants/loans.

Only problem is, I also heard that they are means-tested..? Does anyone know what my best bet would be regarding the grant application in that case? Should my Dad contact the council and say we all live there? Because in that situation, I am pretty sure they will consider my income into the calculations, assuming I need no assistance in paying for the work..

If he were to say he rents the property, I was advised the council reply saying it is the landlord's responsibility to make the property accessible, etc...either way I think I am going to have to just pay it myself arent i??!

bluerose1086 · 12 March 2008 at 1:32PM

hi i dont know if this is in correct place but we have applied and been accepted on a warm front grant and had a central heating firm give us a quote for £3000 meaning we had to pay extra contriution to grant of £700. so because we cant afford this and our heating system has been condemed (over 30 years old) we went back to warmfront and complained warm front then sent out another local firm and there quote was only £2200 so because this is within the grant amount we can now have a new central heating sysytem very soon
so be warned it seems that there are companies used by warm front ( and possibily many other grant suppliers) that are out to make more money out of us hard working poor families

sexysam · 12 March 2008 at 10:23PM

You can have the work done by some private contractors who will do it much cheaper than the council.Its just that it has to meet council standard. Even if you did it privately, it would be very unlikely that the Council will ever notice unless some one informs them

Sugarfree_Babe · 13 March 2008 at 4:14AM

Last year I needed rendering to be replaced on my house as damp was getting in. I received a "Minor Repairs Grant" from the council. They can give up to £3k under this scheme but they do not cover the cost of repainting. I am severely disabled and on income support. I am not sure if these are criteria for the grant. I had a disabled facilities grant to remove my bath and put in a level access shower and a special type of loo. Again, they won't cover the cost of painting or redecorating. When I was fit, I used to do all that myself. I am awaiting a grant to remove and replace my defunct storage heaters. This is likely to mean most of my rooms will need redecorating. does anyone know where I can get a grant for this. My days of wielding a paintbrush are well and truly over and my savings were exhausted years ago. The thought of looking at torn and missing wallpaper for the indefinite future is pretty depressing. Any suggestions?

connan13 · 16 March 2008 at 10:49AM

'I have a son who suffers from bladder problems and wets the bed at least 3 times a night. He currently receives middle rate care DLA. '

Hi Nicky,
with a child entitled to DLA you can apply for a grant from this charity: www.familyfundtrust.org.uk .
good luck.
Marielle

autismmum · 16 March 2008 at 12:45PM

speak to your local ocupational therapy team, they can access grants for you also.

pacer007 · 17 March 2008 at 10:59PM

We are in the process of having an adaptation for our disabled daughter. It consists of a specialist bathroom with a wash/dry toilet, a bath that lifts up and a hoist. We also have had some doorways widened, a new front door with a low threshold and a ramp up to the door. It sounds fine so far.

This work is funded by the local council and is being managed by a company called “In Touch”. The put the job out to tender and builders were chosen to do the job.

My problem is that the quality of the work is poor and a number of building regulations have been ignored. I feel that the chap that is running the job just wants to get it finished as quick as he can no matter what. He just wants the £3,000 commission that will be paid for running the job.

My question. Is there an independent body that could come and look at the work to see that it complies with what it should? I am hoping that when the council come to sign the job off, the faults will be picked up. But, I know the builder dose a lot of this sort of work in the area. So he must get away with doing a shoddy job.

Some points at fault are:

The handrail alongside the ramp dose not compile with part M building regs.
No point of electrical isolation for the toilet.
No bonding of pipes in the bathroom
I could go on.

Thanks,

Pete.

shelleyus · 22 March 2008 at 5:52PM

Does anyone know of any grant for "solid wall" insulation. I've been on Energy Saving Trust site and its advice on my Self enery saving report is, to insulate my "solid walls", either, inside or out. My wife's over 60 and on full DLA mobilty & care. I have had warm front loft insulation and an extension cavity walls insulated. But just to finish the job, I would like to have my "Solid walls" done for extra comfort. Also, we have full double glazing all around. However,being over 15 years old, the panel seals are beginning to leak and are not so effective as before. Warm front quotes ,"UVPC windows are not covered by grant. Does anyone know better?

Grants available for homes improvements & energy efficiency

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