House adaption grant for disabilities

Cazzums

Hello all can anyone tell me if anyone has gone through the process of applying for a housing grant for a disabled individual through their local council? I am looking at applying for adding a downstairs bedroom and en-suite for a disabled person. How does the priority list work? How long does it take to be approved? Is it only for specific disabilities? What inspections are carried out? Any information would be great! Thanks in advance!

angeleyes

My husband applied and was awarded a small grant as decided by a technician. However the council refused to send an occupational therapist to us but we have engaged one privately. We are having a difficult time with our local council. I wish you luck with your application.

lulu1

As far as i know you apply to the council and they will send an ot who works with the hse to measure up but if you are getting a grant from the council it will be their way of doing things.

Op I dont know if you intend building an extention or renovating the existing bedroom

It dosent take that long for approval but I am talking 5 years back or more things are probably different now

As long as the person has a disability even it may not yet be visable they can apply

the14thwarrior

The council do not send an OT from the HSE, unfortunately they are two seperate entities. if you contact your HSE OT find out if they actually do the reports. many don't, or the waiting list is so long that you are better hiring a private OT.

the council generally don't contact the OT on your behalf. it is your responsibility.
each council is different, but i 100% know the dublin process.

all the councils have their own priority list, but in general if you are terminal ill, have a neurological severe condition (stroke, motor neuron) or in hospital and can't be discharged until the works are done, you will be a priority.
most councils will only grant a downstairs bathroom and bedroom if there are no other options. it can be hard to get both rooms done. and very expensive. in general if you can't get on a stairlift, they will grant a bathroom. there are specific guidelines.

it is income based, and need based. the income guidelines are very clear, and the ratio of grant to income is clear on the form.

the14thwarrior

each council has a different waiting list, the only way to find out is to call them and ask them. and your priority will also have an impact on this.
bear in mind a bedroom and bathroom downstairs is very expensive, and the maximum grant is only 30,000. room sizes and criteria are expensive, and most people hire an OT first, so that can feed your quotes and architure report.

do not get an archititure first, and i'm crap at spelling that word, as they will put in all sorts of stuff that is not necessary or will be lovely but too expensive.

make sure you get a builder who knows the process, as the criteria is very much in line with building regulations, and there are no short cuts.

in dublin, they won't give you a bedroom if you have a spare room or a dining room downstairs. the council across dublin are very fair, and generally excellent in giving the grant
if you live in a council house, you still need to get your own OT but they will send their own builders. and in dublin they will not put an extension on in a mid terrace house, end of.

the14thwarrior

Sorry one last thing.
it is not for specific disabilities.
think about it like this........... the medical doctor signs and stamps the form to state what is wrong with you and if the modifications might help. bear in mind the GP is only required
the OT does a report to say how the disability impacts on your functional ability
the council's job is to process the grant.
they cannot make a determination on medical or function
but they are in the business of giving a public funded grant, and therefore they can refuse an extension downstairs if there are cheaper options.


in general the bathroom upstairs and a stairlift are the common modifications.
in dublin they will fund a downstairs toilet of a smaller size but it can be difficult to get in under the stairs due to the strict head height requirements.

an old person with arthritis qualifies, and if they have dementia they can't get on and off the stair lift
an person with COPD and bad knees might qualify but why can't they get on and off a stairlift?
a person with anxiety and phobias might find a stairlift ok, but if their partner in the house cannot squeeze by the lift, and it might be dangerous, then a stairlift is not ok.
a person in a wheelchair ..... enough said
someone who hates the look and thought of a stairlift and thinks a bedroom and bathroom would be great for the future, and they have a dicky heart.... does not qualify.

Burks_ie

Just looking for some information too, my mother had an OT out a few years ago and was informed that she would be suitable for a grant. Her health and disability has got worse over the years so need to do something now. They did have a builder out but he would not cost a project without an architect. Seems abit crazy to employ one before being approved for a grant. Can anyone recommend builders in the Dublin area to do up quotes without drawings. Thanks

the14thwarrior

do you own your own house?
if so, you need an OT to do a report. and the report will reflect the recommendations which in turn will reflect the quotes /drawings/plans.
In my opinion. No point getting plans drawn up based on what someone else thinks, vs. getting on plans drawn up on what an OT thinks. because it comes down to the OT recommendations, not the builder or archtiture. generally the three can work together, but you will end up with plans being redrawn etc. because an OT might not recommend what the builder or archticture will think.

in dublin what a lot of people do is fill in the application form, get an OT to do an assessment and send it in. then the council will say yes or no, and then say get the plans done.

can i ask what it is you are looking for? a bathroom extension, a ramp? a bedroom? or a simple bathroom conversion?

Cazzums

the14thwarrior wrote: »

do you own your own house?
if so, you need an OT to do a report. and the report will reflect the recommendations which in turn will reflect the quotes /drawings/plans.
In my opinion. No point getting plans drawn up based on what someone else thinks, vs. getting on plans drawn up on what an OT thinks. because it comes down to the OT recommendations, not the builder or archtiture. generally the three can work together, but you will end up with plans being redrawn etc. because an OT might not recommend what the builder or archticture will think.

in dublin what a lot of people do is fill in the application form, get an OT to do an assessment and send it in. then the council will say yes or no, and then say get the plans done.

can i ask what it is you are looking for? a bathroom extension, a ramp? a bedroom? or a simple bathroom conversion?

Yes the house is owner occupied. They are seeking a downstairs bedroom and wet room. Individual is an amputee and has major difficulties with stairs. Mobility is only going to deteriorate further also due to bone deformation. I will contact the local council during the week and see what information they can give.

Burks_ie

the14thwarrior wrote: »

do you own your own house?
if so, you need an OT to do a report. and the report will reflect the recommendations which in turn will reflect the quotes /drawings/plans.
In my opinion. No point getting plans drawn up based on what someone else thinks, vs. getting on plans drawn up on what an OT thinks. because it comes down to the OT recommendations, not the builder or archtiture. generally the three can work together, but you will end up with plans being redrawn etc. because an OT might not recommend what the builder or archticture will think.

in dublin what a lot of people do is fill in the application form, get an OT to do an assessment and send it in. then the council will say yes or no, and then say get the plans done.

can i ask what it is you are looking for? a bathroom extension, a ramp? a bedroom? or a simple bathroom conversion?

Its for a downstairs toilet and wet room but its not as simple as just building it on. We do have an old OT report with the recommendation but im sure it will need to be updated to reflect the suituation now. Thanks for the advice.

the14thwarrior

contact your council and ask them.
be aware that a bedroom and a wet room is very expensive, and the grant only goes to 30,000 and that won't cover a bedroom and wet room.
depending on the type of house / availability of rooms downstairs they will allow for conversion of a sitting or dining room into a bedroom, (which may require minor modifications) and they will give a wet room.
they will qualify on need based on their income, and being an amputee there will be no hesitation on their need, the grant they get is based on income, very straightforward. the top end of the grant is 30,000.

i understand the need is high, but at the end of the day there is no point in pursing a bedroom and ensuite if you cannot cover the additional costs which usually run into 20,000 or so over the cost of the initial grant, and its not unusual to see the works costing 60,000.

i find it best to see what you can afford, and look at options including coverting portion of kitchen, etc. if you need a ramp it will add in an extra 10,000 or so.
in lots of cases builders also want a bit of money up front to buy supplies, wages etc. but there are builders who will do it without this.

income is based on all parties who live in the house.
an OT report is mandatory for all new building works, and look on AOTI professional website for those OT who will do the report. and ring two or three for their prices which range from 150 to 300 euro

the council are very good about giving the grant.
the complications are finding a builder who is cheap but good enough to do the works.
and a good OT who can understand that needs vs value for money vs what you can afford instead of giving a gold standard, top of the range recommendations that no one can afford,
good luck

Cazzums

the14thwarrior wrote: »

contact your council and ask them.
be aware that a bedroom and a wet room is very expensive, and the grant only goes to 30,000 and that won't cover a bedroom and wet room.
depending on the type of house / availability of rooms downstairs they will allow for conversion of a sitting or dining room into a bedroom, (which may require minor modifications) and they will give a wet room.
they will qualify on need based on their income, and being an amputee there will be no hesitation on their need, the grant they get is based on income, very straightforward. the top end of the grant is 30,000.

i understand the need is high, but at the end of the day there is no point in pursing a bedroom and ensuite if you cannot cover the additional costs which usually run into 20,000 or so over the cost of the initial grant, and its not unusual to see the works costing 60,000.

i find it best to see what you can afford, and look at options including coverting portion of kitchen, etc. if you need a ramp it will add in an extra 10,000 or so.
in lots of cases builders also want a bit of money up front to buy supplies, wages etc. but there are builders who will do it without this.

income is based on all parties who live in the house.
an OT report is mandatory for all new building works, and look on AOTI professional website for those OT who will do the report. and ring two or three for their prices which range from 150 to 300 euro

the council are very good about giving the grant.
the complications are finding a builder who is cheap but good enough to do the works.
and a good OT who can understand that needs vs value for money vs what you can afford instead of giving a gold standard, top of the range recommendations that no one can afford,
good luck

Thanks so much for the information. The individual only has a sitting room and kitchen downstairs so I don’t think converting the sitting room would be an option. I will definitely phone them and enquire. Thanks again.

Ginger83

Did you get sorted