Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG)

The district councils in Gloucestershire work with Gloucestershire County Council to provide Disabled Facilities Grants to people who have been assessed by an Occupational Therapist and are eligible for help with the costs of home adaptations.

To find out if you could benefit from some adaptations at home you need to complete this enquiry form to request an Occupational Therapist (OT) assessment. During the assessment, an Occupational Therapist will visit your home to see what type of support you may need. They may recommend specialist equipment for your home, a home adaptation or a referral to other services such as physiotherapy or your GP.

The first step is to request an Adult Occupational Therapy assessment, to do this you need to complete an enquiry form.

For more information about DFG’s visit gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants

For Children’s Occupational Therapy services visit Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Following your assessment and a referral from the Occupational Therapist (OT), your district council will ask you to complete a provisional test of resources to calculate the amount, if any, of grant you may be entitled to.

The next step will be to complete a grant application form.  You will receive a grant application pack from your district council after the OT referral has been made. You will also receive a guidance booklet to help you with the application process.

Work can not start until you have received written notification from the council of your grant award.

If you are unable to manage the application process and project yourself, you can appoint an agent to oversee the application on your behalf and act as your project manager. The cost of the Agent can be covered by the grant, subject to your grant limit and only one agent may be appointed to a grant. 

If you need help finding a suitable contractor or agent you can use this Online Contractor and Agent Directory for Gloucestershire.

Government endorsed schemes can also help you find contractors:

Trust Mark – Government Endorsed Quality 

Buy with Confidence – Trading Standards 

Competent Person Register – Government Scheme 

CAB guidance for trusted traders - Citizens Advice 

Your grant package should contain a specification for the work that has been drawn up by the OT and all relevant information that is needed for the builder to give a detailed and accurate quote.

A Disabled Facilities Grant can help home owners and private tenants meet the cost of eligible adaptation works up to a maximum of £30,000, provided they are deemed reasonable and practicable by your district council.

The grant is means tested and if you receive certain benefits you may automatically qualify.  You can use the Age UK online calculator  to find out if you are entitled to any benefits or financial help.

If you do not qualify for a grant and are unable to afford the adaptation yourself, you could consider approaching:  

• Banks and Building Societies - for a commercial loan.
• Charities - read our guidance sheet.
• Social Services - contact your Occupational Therapist.   

If your home can not be reasonably adapted to meet your needs then you should ask your local council if they are able to help with the costs of moving on to a more suitable property.

The eligibility criteria and extent of the work is governed by legal rules.  Further details about the national funding scheme and a list of eligible works can be found on the Gov.uk website.