Assistance for Home Renewal and Improvement

Assistance for Home Renewal and Improvement

Gravesham's policy for financial assistance is published in our Housing Renewal Strategy which came into effect on 31 December 2009.

For all new applications as from 31 December 2009, financial assistance from the council will be to vulnerable households on the basis that the applicant is disabled, the over 60's and families with children under 16, principally on means tested benefit. Landlords can receive assistance if they have a tenant who is disabled and/or in receipt of income related benefits. Landlord loans under the Warm Let scheme will be subject to the condition that the property must meet the council's Voluntary Accreditation Standard and be maintained in that condition throughout the period of any loan.

Our priorities for assistance are as follows;

1. Repairs

Decent Homes Repayable Grant

This is an interest free loan available to enable the over 60s, disabled people or families (with children under 16) on means tested benefit to stay in their own homes and make their home decent. The aim is to improve living conditions to alleviate serious risks to health and safety. The assistance is up to a maximum of £10,000 (in exceptional cases the a panel comprising the Private Sector Housing Manager and the Lead Member for Housing may consider approving a repayable grant of up to £30,000).

Generally the funds are repaid only when the property is sold or on change of ownership or on breach of a condition of the loan.

Decent Homes Repayable grants given for the improvement of mobile homes are not repayable. Therefore to approve these grants a panel decision will be required.

Minor Works Grant

This scheme assists owner occupiers who are vulnerable households to maintain their homes. Works can include adaptations or disrepairs likely to seriously affect the occupants' health and safety. It is available to those over 60, disabled people or families (with children under 16) on means tested benefit or very low income. The assistance is up to £5,000.

Handyperson Service

The council provides funding for a Home Improvement Agency run by The Hyde Group in partnership with Kent County Council. The Agency can provide assistance to the elderly, disabled or those who receive income related benefits with gardening, handyperson and security services.

2. Adaptations

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)

Mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants are available as prescribed in the Housing Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (as amended) and in the Government circular "Delivering Housing Adaptations for Disabled People". Detailed information is therefore not included in this strategy document. The maximum amount of assistance is £30,000.

Disabled people can obtain a mandatory DFG for a range of work including:

· making it easier to get into and out of their homes

· making it easier to get around in their bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen

· making it easier to use the toilet, bath and shower

· making it easier to prepare and cook food

· improving or installing a suitable heating system

· helping to control lighting, power and heating

· making it easier to get around their home to help them care for another person

· making their home safe for everyone who lives in it

For mandatory disabled facilities grants (DFG) the council may decide on a case by case basis to place a limited charge of up to £10,000 on an adapted property when it is sold within 10 years and where the cost of the DFG work is over £5,000. This includes adaptations for children. Gravesham Borough Council will seek to apply this where the works could reasonably be expected to add value to the property. Any recovered funds will be recycled to provide further financial assistance to eligible persons. For example the provision of additional rooms or amenities by the construction of an extension or the conversion of a non habitable room/space are measures that will be considered for the application of such a property charge.

3. Safer Homes

Home Security Grant

Working in partnership with the police, our community safety team and home improvement agency we will identify an area with properties at high risk of crime and implement a pilot scheme to install wireless burglar alarm in nominated eligible properties. The pilot scheme will be designed so that occupiers of non eligible properties will be able to purchase one of the alarm systems. Any future development of this or similar schemes will depend on the outcome of the pilot scheme and available funding.

4. Warm and energy efficient homes

Warmfront Top-Ups

Warmfront is a national government grant that provides insulation and some heating measures (up to £3500 and £6000 for oil fired heating) to homeowners or those in privately rented accommodation on certain income or disability benefits. We refer suitable clients to Eaga who operate this scheme.

A number of low-income clients are being asked to subsidise the cost when the cost of works exceed the grant limits. This can lead to either further financial hardship or cancellation of essential improvement works. The Council therefore offers Warmfront Top-ups to help householders in this situation as a grant of up to £1000 (subject to budget reviews).

Coldbusters scheme

This scheme will provide heating systems, loft and cavity wall insulation to any owner occupier aged 60 and over, disabled people, single person households and those caring for children under 16 – all groups being on means tested benefits. The maximum funding available will be £5000. To facilitate low cost measures the first £1500 will be a non repayable grant and the remaining balance up to £3500 will be in the form of an interest free repayable grant on the change of ownership of the property. This scheme is also available to all persons 65 and over regardless of income.

Where the Council has additional capital, "top up" funding for the loan element will be available for vulnerable households on means tested benefits.

This scheme is not available to those who are privately renting.

Hard to Heat Homes

Implementing hard to heat initiatives is a key tool in eradicating fuel poverty in homes that are solid wall construction or are off mains gas supply. This includes measures such as solid wall insulation and heating to be delivered during 2009/10. This will have a focus on assistance for those caring for children under 16, over 60's and disabled to overcome fuel poverty.

For 2009/ 10 the Council is keen to work sub regionally to develop a partnership approach to delivering energy efficiency initiatives through cross boundary working with energy installers.

"in touch" Emergency Heating Scheme

The Warmfront scheme provides grants for boiler repairs but the scheme cannot respond to emergency situations. This can leave older and disabled people at risk of illness and possible admission to hospital. This strategy will implement an emergency heating scheme. This will be achieved by working in partnership with the Home Improvement Agency to provide emergency heating for vulnerable people until the main heating system has been installed. This will be funded from existing resources by the council to obtain temporary heaters.

Gravesham Warm Let Scheme – Landlord Loans

Subject to funding being available, Landlords who have joined the voluntary Kent Landlords Accreditation Scheme will be eligible to apply for loan assistance to implement the measures contained within an energy performance certificate. Gravesham will assist with a maximum loan of £5000 repayable over a five year period. Repayments will be due monthly following certified completion of the eligible works. Eligible works include insulation measures (including external insulation) and heating measures. Generally window replacement and solar heating schemes will not be considered eligible as the payback period is excessive.

These initiatives for warm and energy efficient homes will help to prevent cold-related illness and accident admissions and re-admissions to hospital amongst vulnerable householder groups. It will also reduce the number of homes occupied by vulnerable householders in the private sector that fail the Decent Homes Standard.

PCT Healthy Homes Project

We will endeavour to increase partnership working and establish a protocol with the PCT to target assistance to vulnerable persons.

The Decent Homes Standard

In 2000 the Government introduced the Decent Homes Standard for all social housing which is to be achieved by 2010. In 2003 the government extended its policy on Decent Homes to include the homes of vulnerable occupants in the private sector. Vulnerable households are those in receipt of certain means tested benefits.

A decent home is one which meets the following four criteria:

a - It must meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing, containing no category 1 risks as rated under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System

b - It must be in a reasonable state of repair

c - It must have reasonably modern facilities and services with a kitchen less than 20 years old and a bathroom less than 30 years old

d - It must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort i.e. effective insulation and efficient heating.

Home Improvement Agency

Gravesham provides funding in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council and Hyde Housing Association to run the "in touch" Home Improvement Agency. The agency provides advice (financial and technical) and support to enable the elderly, disabled people and those on low income who need to carry out repairs and adaptations to their homes. They are based in Gravesend at Lansdown House, Lansdown Place, Perry Street, Northfleet, Kent, DA11 8QX and their telephone number is 01474 566283