“Aiming to increase peoples health, well-being and quality of life by improving their housing”

Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Home Improvement Loan
3. Secure Homes Initiative
4. Accreditation Grant
5. Community Alarm Units
6. Warmer Lets
7. Freedom from Fuel Poverty
8. Empty Property Grant
9. Disabled Facilities Grant
10. Additional Disabled Assistance
11. Complementary Services
12. How to Contact Us

Types of Assistance Available

Remedial Repairs

Home Improvement Loan

This assistance provides an interest-free lifetime loan.  It is available to everyone on a low income, with an enhanced package for elderly people.

Residents Less Than 60 Years of Age:

To be eligible, applicants are to be in receipt of Income Support, Council Tax Benefit or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance.

The assistance is available to owner-occupiers and tenants with a repairing obligation, although written permission will be required from the landlord.

Work will be concentrated on the rooms occupied by the applicant and will only be given to deal with items that fail the Fitness Standard.  However, once Version 2 of the guidance for the Housing Health and Safety Rating System has been published then we will move to this system and assistance will be given to properties that score within bands A-C.  Also, where the level of Radon within a home exceeds the Government’s action level, assistance can be given for remedial works to help reduce it.

The maximum amount of assistance to be offered is £7,500 within a 5 year period.

Residents Over 60 Years of Age:

Everyone over the age of 60 years is eligible.  All applicants are to be subject to a test of resources and their contribution is to be deducted from the cost of the eligible work. However, those in receipt of either Income Support or Council Tax Benefit will not have a contribution.

The assistance is available to owner-occupiers and tenants with a repairing obligation, although written permission will be required from the landlord.

Assistance is to be given to clients (within our financial constraints) to bring their properties up to the Decent Homes Standard, as well as carrying out security work to help those clients not eligible for the Secure Homes Initiative. Also, where the level of Radon within a home exceeds the Government’s action level, assistance can be given for remedial works to help reduce it.

The maximum amount of assistance to be offered is £10,000 within a 5 year period.  Subsequent applications will undergo the same test of resources, which will once again be deducted from the cost of the eligible work.

All Residents:

Fire Precautions Work:

Assistance is also available to owner occupiers of flats who have been served a legal notice requiring fire precautions work and/or repairs to be carried out to the communal areas of their building.

To be eligible they will need to be in receipt of Income Support, Council Tax Benefit or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance and for there to be insufficient funds held by the Management Company to pay for the work.

The eligibility criteria and conditions attached are the same for all remedial repairs

Fast-Track Repairs Service:

Where there is an imminent risk to the occupant’s health and safety or in situations where there is no hot water then this service can be provided.  In these cases, only one estimate would be needed, provided the cost is deemed to be reasonable.

The eligibility criteria and conditions attached are the same for all remedial repairs.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

The following conditions apply to all clients:

• Full repayment of assistance on the sale, transfer or inheritance of the property, unless negative equity can be proven
• The loan is to be recorded as a land charge
• Owner-occupiers are to have owned and lived in the property for the past 3 years. Tenants are to live in the property and have a further 5 years of their tenancy remaining
• All assistance is subject to the availability of funding
• The property is to have been built or converted more than 10 years ago
• The applicant is to be over 18 years old.
• Works eligible for funding through an insurance claim will not receive assistance but the excess amount can be
• No assistance will be paid for work already started
• Reasonable professional fees will be included only when considered necessary
• Estimates are required, prior to approval, from two contractors on the Housing Services’ or Care and Repair Contractors List
• A valid application will comprise of a correctly completed and signed application form and conditions certificate, two acceptable estimates, proof of property ownership and specified proof of income. (Assistance with completing forms is available)
• Unforeseen works can only be considered upon prior inspection and agreement by Housing Services
• Interim payments are to be a minimum of £5,000 and only paid at the discretion of Housing Services
• Payments will be made to the client or will be paid to the contractor(s) only at the client’s request
• Interim payments are only made on the submission of an acceptable invoice for the works, including any professional fees, and will be paid to a maximum of 75% of the approved amount
• Final payments are only made on the submission of an acceptable invoice for the works, including any professional fees
• All work to be completed within 9 months from the date of approval.  If the work is not complete after this date then the assistance will be withdrawn and any interim payments recovered from the applicant.  In exceptional circumstances assistance can be paid after the 9 month deadline but this will only be at the discretion of Housing Services

Accreditation Grant:

This assistance is available to landlords.

To be eligible the property is to be considered either ‘low’ or ‘standard-risk’ and the property is to be accredited or in the process of being accredited through the Bath and North East Somerset Council, voluntary Property Accreditation Scheme.

Examples of the type of eligible works include fire extinguishers, fire blankets, mains powered smoke alarms (not Automatic Fire Detection Systems) and any such fire precautions deemed appropriate to the property concerned.

The maximum amount of assistance offered is £200 per dwelling.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

• All assistance is subject to the availability of funding
• The applicant is to be over 18 years old
• The property is to remain accredited for a further 3 years
• The work is to be carried out only by a Council appointed contractor
• Final payments are made direct to the contractor, on the submission of an acceptable invoice
• A valid application will comprise of a correctly completed and signed application form and conditions certificate. (Assistance with completing forms is available.)

Community Alarm Units:

This assistance is available to low income residents who are elderly, disabled or otherwise vulnerable.

To be eligible they are to be in receipt of Income Support, Council Tax Benefit or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance.

The assistance is available to owner-occupiers and both private and public sector tenants.

Eligible works include community alarms and key safes.

The maximum amount of assistance offered is £150.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

All assistance is subject to the availability of funding.

• The applicant is to be over 18 years old.
• A valid application will comprise of a correctly completed and signed application form and specified proof of income. (Assistance with completing forms is available.)
• The eligible works are to be specified and arranged by the Community Alarms Service.

Energy Efficiency:

Warmer Lets:

This assistance is available to landlords.

To be eligible the property is to be accredited or in the process of being accredited through the Bath and North East Somerset Council Accreditation Scheme.

Examples of the type of eligible works include condensing boilers, insulation, draught proofing and central heating controls.

The maximum amount of assistance offered is £1,000 per dwelling.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

• All assistance is subject to the availability of funding
• The applicant is to be over 18 years old
• The property is to remain accredited for 3 years
• A valid application is that specified by the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Bristol

Freedom from Fuel Poverty:

This assistance is to be used for initiatives targeted towards combating fuel poverty, renewables and other energy efficiency initiatives.

Empty Properties:

Empty Property Grant

This assistance is available to landlords.

To be eligible the applicant must own a property that has been empty for longer than 1 year.

In order to apply for this assistance it will be necessary to submit a prescribed application form which details the proposed works of repair and/or improvement by a specified date. This is a bidding process and applicants will be notified if they have been successful.

The maximum amount of assistance offered is £2,000.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

All assistance is subject to the availability of funding.

• The applicant is to be over 18 years old
• The property is to have been owned by the applicant for the past 3 years
• Estimates are required, prior to approval, from two registered trading contractors
• A valid application will comprise of a correctly completed and signed application form and conditions certificate, two acceptable estimates and proof of property ownership. (Assistance with completing forms is available.)
• Unforeseen works can only be considered upon prior inspection and agreement by Housing Services
• Payments will be made to the client or will be paid to the contractor(s) only at the client’s request
• Payment will only be made on completion and on the submission of an acceptable invoice for the works
• All work to be completed within 9 months from the date of approval.  If the work is not complete after this date then the assistance will be withdrawn. In exceptional circumstances assistance can be paid after the 9 month deadline but this will only be at the discretion of Housing Services
• The property is to be available for letting, other than to a member of the applicant’s family, for 3 years after the completion of the work.  Breaches of this condition will result in the money being repaid
• The assistance is to be recorded as a land charge

Assistance for Disabled People

Disabled Facilities Grants:

This assistance is available to residents who are disabled.

It is available to owner-occupiers and tenants, (with the landlord’s consent).

The eligible works include those that are deemed mandatory in accordance with the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.  This includes essential adaptations to give residents better freedom of movement into and around their home and to essential facilities within it.  All applicants will have to be assessed by an Occupational Therapist before being referred to Housing Services.

The maximum amount of grant is £25,000.

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

• The property is to be occupied by the applicant following the completion of the work
•  The applicant is to be subject to a test of financial resources
• Reasonable professional fees to be paid only when considered necessary
• Estimates are required, prior to approval, from two contractors from the Housing Services’ or Care and Repair Contractors List (unless otherwise directed by the Occupational Therapist)
• The client will be informed within 6 months if their application has been approved or refused
• Unforeseen works can only be considered upon prior inspection and agreement by Housing Services
• Interim payments are only to be paid at the discretion of Housing Services
• Payments will be made to the client or will be paid to the contractor(s) only at the client’s request
• Interim payments are only made on the submission of an acceptable invoice for the works, including any professional fees, and will be paid to a maximum of 90% of the approved amount
• Final payments are only made on the submission of an acceptable invoice for the works, including any professional fees
• A valid application and specified conditions are detailed in the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. (Assistance with completing forms is available.)

Additional Discretionary Assistance:

This assistance is to be used in a number of ways.

• It can be used to pay for assisted move-on schemes for disabled residents where this is proved to be financially the best option.  This is to be at the discretion of the Occupational Therapist and must fully consider the wishes of the client
• It is to be used by clients, who are in receipt of a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant to pay for unforeseen items of work or for work, which is essential to complete schemes, where the cost exceeds the mandatory limit of £25,000. This however would be subject to prior action to secure additional funding elsewhere
• It will be used for such programmes which are considered appropriate to assist disabled residents in other ways
• Finally, in exceptional cases this money can also be used to pay for essential work needed above the maximum limit allowed under the Home Improvement Loan scheme

Assistance Requirements and Conditions:

For the conditions attached to this assistance reference needs to be made to the conditions attached to the Disabled Facilities Grant and the Home Improvement Loan scheme.