What Home Improvement Grants may be available to you?

LAST year Omagh and Fermanagh Home Improvement Grant Offices were amalgamated as part of a restructuring exercise and a new “West Grants Office” was formed based in MacAllister House, Omagh.

There is also a sub office in Enniskillen covering the District Council Areas of Cookstown, Dungannon, Fermanagh and Omagh. It has been a very busy year for the new West Grants Office and overall £4.9m was spent in respect of 546 completed grant schemes, covering Disabled Facilities, Repair, Renovation, Replacement and Home Repair Assistance Grants.

While discretionary grants have had to be curtailed to reflect the reduced budget, which is £3.5 m for the coming year, there is still strong demand for Home Improvement Grants, particularly mandatory grants such as the Disabled Facilities Grant and Repair Grant. 

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Below is a summary of the Home Improvement Grant schemes currently available:

Disabled Facilities Grants. (Mandatory Grants)

Disabled Facilities Grants of up to £25,000 are available to owner-occupiers, landlords and private tenants to make the home of a person with disability suitable for his or her needs based on the recommendation of an Occupational Therapist.

To apply for Disabled Facilities Grants you need to contact your local Health and Social Care, to obtain their recommendations.  If the Occupational Therapist makes recommendations these will be forwarded directly to the Grants Office to begin the Disabled Facilities Grant application process.

Repair Grants. (Mandatory Grants)

Repair Grants of up to £7,500 in any three year period are available to landlords and certain tenants where a Statutory Notice has been served by the local District Council Environmental Health Department

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Renovation, Replacement & Home Repair Assistance Grants.(Discretionary Grants)

These grants are only available in exceptional circumstances where the works requested would present a serious, imminent and significant risk to the occupants

Boiler Replacement Allowance Scheme

A new Boiler Replacement Allowance scheme began on the 1st September 2012 and we are currently taking applications for the scheme.

Further information on Home Improvement Grants can be obtained by contacting the West Grants Office on 03448 920 900or the Housing Executives Web Site on: www.nihe.gov.uk.

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