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Housing Repairs and Health & Safety FAQ

Isn’t a HRA grant my right?

No. The council through working with the Regional Housing Partnership has secured funds for a limited time period to help vulnerable private home owners through a discretionary grant scheme. The discretion to award a HRA grant rests with the council.

The responsibility to maintain private property rests firmly with the owner.


How long do I have had to have lived in my house?

You need to have lived in your house for at least 3 years to be considered for a HRA grant.


What can I have a HRA grant for?

The most common question that people ask is what can I have a grant for. The eligible works for a grant are based on an assessment of each individual home. They are limited to tackling either:

  • Category 1 hazards that exist under the Housing Health and  Safety Rating System and
  • Essential disrepair works due to a failure in the home decency standard;

Therefore, it is not straightforward to say yes or no for most things. However we provide as a guide items that can’t be funded and items that may be eligible for assistance.

As well as the HRA grants being discretionary they will only be considered if the council has sufficient funds available to offer them.

The maximum HRA that can be awarded is £5,000 per property.


Age of House

Houses are intended to last for many years. The Government has set ‘life—spans’ for major parts of a house which councils take into account when deciding if a house fails the decency standard. The following are examples.

  • The outside of your home


A1.  Wall Structure

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the wall structure fails the decent home standard. To fail the wall must be:

  • over 80 years old and
  • require at least 10% to be replaced or 30% to be repaired.


A2. Wall finish (pointing/render, etc)

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the wall finish fails the decent home standard. To fail the wall finish must be:

  • over 60 years old and
  • require at least 50% to be replaced or to be repaired.


A3. A new roof for my home

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the roof covering or structure fails the decent home standard. To fail the roof must be:

  • over 50 years old for a house or 30 years for a flat and
  • require replacement due to failure to at least half of the roof covering (tiles/slates, etc) and or replacement of at least 10% of structural elements (roof trusses, etc).


A4. New windows, doors and or double glazing

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the windows or doors fail the decent home standard. To fail the windows or doors must be:

  • over 40 years old for a house or 30 years for a flat and
  • have serious and substantial failings in their condition.

Only windows that fail will be replaced so if you have 3 windows that fail and 4 that don’t we can only assist with the 3 failed.

The following cannot be assisted:

  • Repair of double glazing seals (misting or small leaks, etc)
  • Re-glazing or painting.


B. The inside of your home

B1. A new kitchen

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the kitchen fails the decent home standard. To fail the kitchen must be:

  • over 30 years old and
  • have serious and substantial failings in its condition.

The least cost option of works to a kitchen will be considered. If work-surfaces and new kitchen cabinets for example are needed they will be ‘budget’ only.

We cannot pay for items like fridges, dishwashers, cookers etc.


B2. A new bathroom

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the bathroom fails the decent home standard. To fail the bathroom must be:

  • over 40 years old and
  • have serious and substantial failings in its condition.

The least cost option of a new bathroom will be considered for example we do not provide loans for whirlpool baths, power showers, hot tubs, bidets, etc.


B3. Re-wiring my house

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the wiring fails the decent home standard. To fail the wiring must be:

  • over 30 years old and
  • have serious and substantial failings in its condition/layout. This would normally have to constitute a risk to the health and safety of the residents.

The least cost option of re-wiring to the current standards will always be considered. For example, the number and location of sockets, switches etc will be the decision of the council.  Surface mounted wiring will be considered where concealed wiring costs more.


B4. Heating

In strictly limited circumstances grants ‘may’ be available for this if the heating fails the decent home standard. To fail the heating must be:

  • over 30 years old and
  • has serious and substantial failings in its condition/layout.

The least cost option of heating the property to the current standards will always be considered. For example the number and location of radiators etc will be the decision of the council.


C. Never assisted

The following is a list of things we can’t consider grants for

  • Satellite / cable TV connections
  • Switching from terrestrial to digital TV
  • Obtaining a water meter
  • Getting a mains gas connection to your home
  • Providing electricity to outbuildings (sheds, etc.)
  • Paving driveways
  • New shed or garage
  • Fences and garden walls
  • Re-glazing
  • Whirlpool baths, power showers, hot tubs, bidets, etc.
  • Kitchen items such as fridges, dishwashers, cookers, etc.

This page was last updated on 02 March 2010