Housing Repairs Assistance Grants

A grant of up to £3k is available to help low income home-owners deal with small but urgent items of disrepair to their home such as hazards that present an imminent risk to the health and safety of people living there.

Who is eligible for a "Housing Repairs Assistance Grant"?

Owner-occupiers, long leaseholders and some tenants with repairing responsibilities are eligible for a grant providing they have savings of less than £8k and are in receipt of the following benefits or tax credits:

• income support;
• income related job seekers allowance;
• working tax credit with an income of less than £18k
• child tax credit;
• housing benefit;
• disability working allowance;
• council tax benefit;
• guaranteed pension credit.

The applicant must be over the age of 60, or chronically sick /disabled, or over the age of 18 and in a household on a low income with dependent children. They must also have lived in the property as their only home for at least a year and the property must be at least 10 years old.

What works can I get a grant for?

The grant is for work to remove a specific hazard at your home that directly affects the health, safety and welfare of the occupants, for example:

• serious electrical defects where there is a risk of fire or shock;
• excessive cold due to defective or inadequate heating or hot water or inadequate insulation where no other grant is available;
• risk of imminent collapse of part of the structure;
• rain penetration due to serious disrepair;
• serious security problems.

Will I have to repay the grant?

You will only have to repay the grant if you sell or dispose of your home within 10 years of receiving the grant.

What is the process?

1. We will send you information and a preliminary enquiry form. This will help you and us decide whether you, and the work proposed to your home, are likely to meet the criteria. You fill in the form and send it back to us, or we can help you fill it in.
2. A member of the private sector housing team will contact you by telephone to discuss your enquiry and make arrangements to visit you at home to look at the work proposed.
3. We will then write to you and let you know whether you are eligible. If so, we will send you an application form, a list of works and further details.
4. You return the completed application together with two written estimates and proof of your entitlement to benefits or tax credits.
5. We will check your eligibility and subject to funds being available give you formal approval.
6. You then arrange with your builder/contractor to have the agreed work done.
7. When you are happy that the work is complete, you tell us and send the invoice.
8. We will check the work and authorise payment of the grant, normally direct to your builder/contractor.

Can somebody help me through the process?

Yes, we will help with advice and information or you can ask a friend or relative to help. If you wish you can employ someone to help you get estimates, appoint a contractor and oversee the work. However, this is not normally necessary for small works. If appropriate, we recommend you contact Anchor Home Improvement Agency to provide additional support.

Fees that are charged can also be added to the grant application as long as they are reasonable and the total costs do not exceed the £3k grant maximum.

How do I apply?

To apply you should contact the private sector housing team to check availability and ask for a Home Repair Assistance Grant enquiry form. We will be able to give you more information and explain what will happen.

Please note: These grants are discretionary and funds are limited. Applications will normally be dealt with in date order unless there is a serious health and safety issue. Grants cannot normally be given out where work has already started or been carried out.

Herts Essex Energy Partnership

This is a new energy efficiency grant scheme offering home owners and private landlords government funding

Herts & Essex Energy Partnership is comprised of the following (15) local authorities;

• Brentwood
• Broxbourne
• Chelmsford
• Dacorum
• East Hertfordshire
• Epping Forest
• Harlow
• Hertsmere
• North Hertfordshire
• St Albans
• Stevenage
• Three Rivers
• Uttlesford
• Watford
• Welwyn Hatfield

The partnership has obtained £6.6 million worth of Government funding through the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) to promote and install a suite of energy efficiency and renewable measures for private homeowners and tenants over a two year period.

As well as free measures for those on benefits, the scheme offers to everyone else:

• £99* loft or cavity wall insulation

Grants and interest free loans to cover 50% of the cost of

• Central heating systems
• Solar water heating
• Air source heat pumps
• Solid wall insulation
• And other advanced insulation measures

Grants are all subject to the schemes improvement programme (based on energy ratings) and technical survey. The interest free loans are repaid on sale of the property, with no time limit.

For more details and enquiry form follow the link to the scheme website  or phone one of the trained advisors on 0800 980 60 26.

* Subject to technical survey, qualifying criteria and availability of funding.