Aids & Adaptations
We want you to be able to enjoy your home. If you are a tenant and due to disability, you are finding your home difficult to move about in or use, we may be able to help. If this is the case you might refer yourself, be referred by an external agency, (eg your GP, health visitor or a charity) or identified by a member of our staff.
Your first point of contact is your Housing Officer, who upon receipt of your referral will carry out an initial needs assessment. This may include a visit to your home which we will aim to complete within 5 working days.
If the initial needs assessment is successful, we will assess whether the works are minor (likely to cost less than £1000) or major (likely to be more complex and/or expensive)
Minor Works
Housing or maintenance staff may authorise minor adaptations work such as handrails, grabrails, etc. up to a cost of £200.
These works are ordered by our Maintenance Department in the same way as a routine repair (for completion within 28 days) and delivered by a Direct Labour Operative (DLO) from our internal Care & Repair agency.
Where work is more complex or specialist in nature, Maintenance may need to arrange for surveys/quotations. If necessary a different contractor may be used but the DLO will be used where possible.
Major Works
Where works are of a more complex nature and/or likely to cost over £1000, you will be advised by your Housing Officer to apply to your Local Council for an assessment visit from an Occupational Therapist (OT). Advice about how to approach the OT can be provided by your Housing Officer.
If the Occupational Therapist decides that major adaptations are required, you as the tenant must submit an application to the Local Council for a ‘Disabled Facilities Grant’. Councils are required to facilitate applications, however the Housing Officer may provide support, advocacy or advice if needed. If your application is successful, the Occupational Therapist will formally request our permission to carry out the works. Permission requests will be considered by the Property Services Manager.
General
- Each application will be considered on its own merits and with the particular circumstances of the tenant in mind. Where the major works process is in progress, we will still aim to assist as far as practicable under the minor works procedure.
- There may be occasions where for physical or economic reasons your current home will not provide suitable long-term accommodation. In these cases we would consider whether alternative accommodation might provided a better solution. We aim to make this decision as early as possible to avoid delay.
- If you are dissatisfied with a decision or our service, please advise your Housing Officer.
- If the dissatisfaction continues you should follow our complaints procedure.
