Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability
Information
A housing adaptation grant is available where changes need to be made to a home to make it suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or mental health difficulty to live in.
The grant can help you to make changes and adaptations to your home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or a stair-lift. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included, but only under certain conditions. Contact your local authority for more details.
If you only require minor work you can apply for the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme instead. However, you must satisfy the means test. If you don't satisfy the income limits for the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme you should apply for the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability.
Rules
The grant can be paid to people in:
- Owner-occupied housing
- Houses being purchased from a local authority under the tenant purchase scheme
- Private rented accommodation (the duration of your tenancy can affect grant approval)
- Accommodation provided under the voluntary housing Capital Assistance and Rental Subsidy schemes
- Accommodation occupied by persons living in communal residences
Your application will be prioritised based on medical need. There are 3 priority levels:
- Priority 1: A person who is terminally ill or fully/mainly dependent on family or carer; or where alterations/adaptations would facilitate discharge from hospital or alleviate the need for hospitalisation in the future.
- Priority 2: A person who is mobile but needs assistance washing, toilet facilities, bedroom etc; or where without the alterations/adaptations the disabled person's ability to function independently would be hindered.
- Priority 3: A person who is independent but requires special facilities to improve the quality of life, for example, separate bedroom or living space.
When the local authority receives your application, it may ask for an occupational therapist's (OT) assessment. The local authority can arrange for an OT assessment, but you can hire an OT privately to carry out an assessment and recoup up to €200 as part of the total grant, up to the maximum you are entitled to.
Means test
The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability is a means-tested grant. This means your total household income is assessed to find out if you qualify for the grant and the amount payable.
Household income is:
- property owner's (or tenant's, in the case of private renting) and spouse's/partner's annual gross income in the previous tax year
The following is not taken into account when calculating your household income:
- €5,000 for each member of the household aged up to 18 years
- €5,000 for each member of the household aged between 18 and 23 years and in full-time education or a FÁS apprenticeship
- €5,000 where the person with a disability (in respect of whom the grant is applied for) is being cared by a relative on a full-time basis
- Child Benefit
- Family Income Supplement
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Respite Care Grant
- Carer's Benefit and Carer's Allowance (if the carer's payment is made in respect of the person the application is for)
Tax clearance
If you get a grant of more than €10,000 you must have a valid Tax Clearance Certificate. If you intend to pay more than €650 to a contractor, you must get your contractor to submit their C2/Tax Clearance Certificate to the local authority.
Starting the work to adapt your home
The grant will not be paid if you start work before the grant is approved. However, it is expected that the work will start within 6 months of your grant approval.
Rates
Priority will be given to people on medical grounds. If your household income is less than €30,000 you may qualify for 95% of the cost of the works (up to the maximum grant amount of €30,000). The proportion of the costs to be grant-aided will be tapered from 95% to 30% which will apply when household income is between €54,001 and €65,000.
If you are unable to get a loan from a bank or building society to pay for the costs not covered by the grant, you may be able to get a local authority home improvement loan. If your house is less than 12 months old the grant will generally not exceed €14,500.
If you are a local authority tenant, the local authority will meet the entire cost of the works.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (houses over 12 months old):
| Maximum yearly household income | % of costs | Maximum grant |
| Up to €30,000 | 95% | €30,000 |
| €30,000 - €34,000 | 90% | €27,000 |
€34,001 - €38,000 |
80% | €24,000 |
| €38,001 - €42,000 | 70% | €21,000 |
| €42,001 - €46,000 | 60% | €18,000 |
| €46,001 - €50,000 | 50% | €15,000 |
| €50,001 - €54,000 | 40% | €12,000 |
| €54,001 - €65,000 | 30% | €9,000 |
| Over €65,000 | No grant payable |
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (houses less than 12 months old):
| Maximum yearly household income | % of costs | Maximum grant |
| Up to €30,000 | 95% | €14,500 |
| €30,000 - €34,000 | 90% | €13,050 |
€34,001 - €38,000 |
80% | €11,600 |
| €38,001 - €42,000 | 70% | €10,150 |
| €42,001 - €46,000 | 60% | €8,700 |
| €46,001 - €50,000 | 50% | €7,250 |
| €50,001 - €54,000 | 40% | €5,800 |
| €54,001 - €65,000 | 30% | €4,350 |
| Over €65,000 | No grant payable |
Where to apply
You should contact the Housing Department of your local authority for further information.
Language
Related Documents
- Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme
Grants are available to improve the homes of older people so that they can stay in their own homes for as long as possible. - Mobility Aids Grant Scheme
This scheme assists older people with the costs of essential housing repairs and maintenance. - Budget 2007
Budget 2007 was announced on 6 December 2006. Summary of the main changes.
Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.