Watford Borough Council

A grant can be used for adaptations to give you better freedom of movement into and around your home and/or to provide essential facilities within it. Examples of the types of work include:

• widening doors and installing ramps
• providing or improving access to rooms and facilities - for example, by installing a stair lift and/or providing a level access shower instead of a bath
• adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

An occupational therapist (OT) will look at your circumstances and can recommend the type of adaptation(s) needed. Following this initial appointment, someone from the council will visit you to make sure the works proposed by the OT are reasonable and practical. We will then carry out a financial assessment – or ‘means test’ to check whether you are required to make a contribution.

Means testing will take into account savings over £6,000, capital such as stocks or shares and your weekly income. If you have a partner, your combined income and savings will be assessed jointly. If you are in receipt of certain benefits including Income Support and Council Tax Benefit you would automatically be entitled to 100% grant towards the eligible work. There is no means testing if the eligible works are recommended for a disabled child or young person under 19.

Depending on the outcome of this assessment the amount of financial assistance offered can vary from 0 to 100 per cent of the cost. The maximum grant we can offer is £30,000. When a  grant is available but the cost of the work exceeds the grant limit, it may be possible to access a Home Improvement Trust loan - you can find out more by visiting the Houseproud website, a link to which is provided below. 

If you are a tenant of a housing association we encourage you to contact your housing association before contacting the council because they also have an obligation to provide adaptations but you will not normally have to be means tested,

For more information please contact the council on tel: 226400. To arrange an initial appointment, please contact Hertfordshire County Council Social Services on telephone: 01923 471400 and ask for an Occupational Therapist assessment.

Please note, you must not start any work before you have received written confirmation of grant approval as a grant cannot be paid for works already commenced or completed.