Long wait for Cardiff Disabled Facilities Grants
The first thing many of our Cardiff customers have done before calling us, is to contact the council to enquire about eligibility for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). We totally understand this approach. Why pay yourself if you can get support from the local authority?
However, recently we’ve had a lot of calls from people who have decided to ditch the DFG route and here’s why.
We live in an aging population and we all know that the pressure on local authorities is huge. The Disabled Facilities Grant has been designed to help towards the cost of adapting your home to meet your needs. It’s becoming increasingly obvious to us that it’s getting harder to access support in the time frame that people need it.
High level of need for home adaptation in Cardiff
We are constantly getting calls from local people who have been waiting for an initial assessment from the council. A local authority has a limited budget and there is a high level of need. Between October 2023 and October 2024 Cardiff Council had 936 applications for support. Almost 200 of these were not successful.
The wait for a home adaptation assessment may be too long
The average amount of time from application to the home adaptation being completed between October 2023 and October 2024 was 128 days. That’s more than 4 months. That’s a long time to wait to get up your stairs. This is the reason that many people come to us while they are on the waiting list.
A stairlift or bathroom adaptation is cheaper than you think
The most common home adaptations are stairlifts and bathrooms. You can get a stairlift fitted from £1,550 – £3,000 for a straight stairlift and a curved from £4,000. We also have rental or refurbished options. Swapping a bath for a walk-in shower is the simplest change you can make to a bathroom and doesn’t require a whole refit.
A Disabled Facilities Grant is assessed against income and savings
The actual amount of DFG that you can get depends on your income and savings over £6,000. An assessment of finances is not required for families with disabled children under 19.
If time is of the essence we know that we can offer a speedy, cost-effective alternative solution.
Call our friendly team today on 029 2061 1277, or complete the contact form.
