Aids and adaptations
We care about making sure your home is accessible and functional to suit your needs.
We understand that at times you may require additional care and support to live in your home. Your needs may change over time, and conditions that may leave you vulnerable for a period but may not be permanent, especially if the right type of support is available.
If you or someone you live with finds it difficult to get around your home, you may be able to get help to maintain or improve your independence. We can provide some basic adaptations to your home such as support and grab rails, kitchen and bathroom lever taps and easy to use WC flush handles. For larger adaptations, an assessment and report of requirements will be required from an Occupational Therapy Service. Further information and guidance can be provided, call us on 0300 123 3399.
Please remember to tell us if you have a condition which may be impacted by us carrying out a repair, so we can work together to support you and works required. There are a number of ways we can provide a flexible service where a customer has identified a condition to us. These services are generally for customers who are frail, elderly, or with severe mental and/or physical health problems or disabilities. This may include giving greater priority for repairs, or carrying out work outside of our usual policy.
Lifts
If you are struggling to walk upstairs help is at hand. The first thing to do is contact your doctor who will assess whether you may benefit from a stair lift or any other home adaptation.
An occupational therapist, a specialist who helps people having difficulty with daily tasks, will need to visit you to make a detailed assessment of your needs. They will advise whether you could apply for a ‘disabled facilities grant’ from your local council.
If this grant is approved then the council will ask their contractors to undertake the work. However, before any work starts we will need to give permission for any alternations to your home. This permission is via a formal process; from the council to us, as the landlord, to approve.
We may need to discuss the work further with you prior to granting permission.
If we give permission for a stair lift to be installed we will maintain it after the 12-month guarantee period is over.
We have over 50 stair lifts and seven through-floor lifts in our homes which all need servicing every six months so we will need access to carry out these checks.
Information on disabled facilities grants
Minor adaptations
These include grab rails to a bath, shower or beside a toilet, or lever taps. We will carry out minor adaptations, costing up to £1,000 (which includes labour, materials and tax if applicable). You do not need a referral from an occupational therapist for aids and adaptations, but sometimes the process begins with a referral from one.