Self-funding home adaptations

Income and savings

If you have substantial income and savings, from work, pensions, investments or property, you are unlikely to be eligible for local authority grants. If this is the case, you may have enough to pay for your home adaptations outright.

However, if your income and savings are below a certain amount, you can still apply for local authority funding. Read more in our article.

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)

Financial help from family

Family members might be able to contribute towards the cost of home adaptations. This could be in the form of a loan or a gift.

If you have a relative who is thinking about gifting you a large sum of money to cover the cost of home repairs or adaptations, they should seek legal and/or financial advice first as there could be tax implications. Our guide to gifting assets and property explains the basics.

Personal loan

An unsecured personal loan could allow you to borrow the cash you need for adaptations. Lenders offer a lump sum over a fixed period of time: £5,000 over three years, for example.

An unsecured personal loan is usually cheaper than borrowing on a credit card, and you can borrow more than with a current account overdraft.

To find out more, read the Which? Money guide to personal loans.

Benefits and allowances to help finance small adaptations

Benefits can add to your income, helping you to finance minor adaptations. Some benefits such as Attendance Allowance aren't means tested, so it doesn’t matter what your financial situation is.

If you’re unsure which benefits you might be entitled to, try using an online benefits calculator, such as Turn2us. You’ll be asked a number of questions about your personal circumstances, then offered guidance on which benefits you might be eligible for.

Charitable grants

Some charitable organisations offer grants to people in need. Most charities will only provide help to those who can't get financial support elsewhere, so you must have exhausted all other possibilities, such as benefits and local authority funding, before seeking assistance. Most charitable grants have specific eligibility criteria. For example, it might only be available to you if you have very low income or specific illnesses or disabilities.

Some charities or benevolent societies, such as The Charity for Civil Servants or The Soldiers’ Charity (formerly the Army Benevolent Fund), are associated with particular companies, trades or professions.

If you or your partner worked in a particular trade or profession, it’s worth checking to see if there is a related charity or benevolent fund that might be able to provide assistance.

Disability charities, such as Scope, may be able to advise on the availability of local grants that could help with home adaptations. The organisation Turn2us allows you to search for charitable grants by postcode.

Equity release

If you own your home, you might be able to use an equity release scheme to ‘unlock’ cash from the value of your property. Read our information about equity release to find out more and take advice from a qualified independent financial adviser.