The Ins and Outs of Home Repair Grant

A home repair grant provides financial assistance for repair and improvement of domestic property. Beneficients are usually from very low income groups, the elderly, or the disabled. The grant is however not for cosmetic or convenience purposes, but pertains to repairs needed to prevent a health or safety hazard.

A home repair grant is available to landlords, tenants, and agents. To be eligible, the person must be over 18 years of age, and be recipient of an income-based social benefit, or be elderly, or disabled. A house caring for elderly or disabled people may also be eligible for the grant, since it is also available to help set up facilities for such categories of people.

This financial assistance is usually granted by local councils. The repairs to be done need to be assessed by the environmental health section to see if they qualify under the statutory notice allowing home repair grant, namely the Public Health Notice or the Certificate of Disrepair.

The grant can be used for repairs in the house, like plumbing and electrical wiring, but can also be used for energy efficiency methods like thermal insulation, or improved security, like the installation of bolts and locks, as well as for sound insulation.

Proof of low income, like a tax statement, or of income-benefit has to be presented when applying for a home repair grant. Two itemized estimates of the repairs are also needed. A letter from the landlord authorizing the works needs to be produced in case a tenant is the one asking for the grant.

The money is paid to the builder or contractor when the repairs are completed, but the do-it-yourself handymen can also benefit from it provided he produces all the purchase receipts of the materials he has used. Payment usually happens when the repairs meet up to the council or authority providing the grant’s assessment.

A few conditions are however attached to the home repair grant. The repairs must not go on for longer than 12 months, and there must be a 3-year lapse after completion of repairs before the same house or property is eligible again for another grant. Furthermore, the house needs to be lived in and not sold for a period of time, usually 10 years, after completion of the works.