Grants and Loans for Private Housing

Introduction

The majority of housing in Bristol is privately owned, which is approximately 130,000 homes. Housing is not only likely to be a homeowner's biggest asset but it is also an important asset for the city. In November 2002 the government extended the Decent Homes Standard target to vulnerable households in the private sector.

Decent homes not only improve quality of life for the household but also enhance the area and ensure that good quality housing is available for future generations. For a dwelling to be 'decent' it must:

• Be free of serious hazards
• Be in a reasonable state of repair
• Have reasonably modern facilities and services
• Provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

We provide advice and assistance to homeowners to help them repair and maintain their homes to the Decent Homes Standard. A summary of assistance appears below but full details of available assistance including eligibility criteria etc, can be found in the Private Housing Renewal Policy found as a link at the bottom of this page.

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Disabled Facilities Grants

If you have difficulty getting in or around your home, or using the facilities within your home we may be able to give you a grant to help adapt your home to suit your needs so that you can continue to live independently. Please see the Housing adaptations for older or disabled people page for more information.

 

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Discretionary Adaptation Assistance

Households who need additional funding to that provided under the mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants to carry out adaptations to their home where:

1. There is a shortfall of grant under Disabled Facilities Grant to cover the full scheme of works required (as recommended by an occupational therapist).
2. Works are not mandatory but would improve the quality of life for the disabled person.
3. Have a need for urgent mandatory work but either the occupant has been diagnosed as being terminally ill or the adaptation will facilitate discharge from hospital or re-admission to hospital.

All options must be referred through an occupational therapist in the first instance.

For adults contact:

Care Direct
Telephone: 0117 922 2700
Fax: 0117 903 6688
Minicom: 0117 903 6689
Email: adult.care@bristol.gov.uk

Social Services Children’s Team
Telephone: 0117 903 8272
Fax; 0117 903 8254
Minicom: 0117 903 8255
Email: sskpduty@bristol.gov.uk

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Home Action Zones

We have launched two new Home Action Zones in Windmill Hill West and Greenbank. If you live in a privately owned or rented home, you may be entitled to assitance to help improve it.

The scheme will be available in targetted areas of the city for limited periods of 6-8 months and will offer a range of services to help make your home safe, secure, warm and decent.

Working with our partners we will be offering free loft and cavity wall insulation, free security checks from the police Bobby Van Service with secuity measures as appropriate, free  fire safety checks from Avon Fire and Rescue with long life smoke detectors fitted, free surveys to identify hazards and essential repairs around the home, low cost loans and possibly grants to help with repairs and eliminate hazards.

For some households where there are elderly or disabled people resident we can offer a handyperson service with small grants available to cover the costs. We also offer minor adaptations such as grab rails and ramps to prevent trips and falls around the home.

To register your interest in this scheme, please contact the Private Housing Renewal Unit on 0117 3533880 or 0117 9038975.

 

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Loan Fund Assistance

If you own your property and have a low disposable income, we may be able to offer a subsidised loan to repair your property.

These loans to help you carry out essential repairs to your home are administered by our partners Wessex Homes Home Improvement Loans on our behalf . There are a number of products available to homeowners to suit the circumstances of your household including interest only and rolled up interest loans for older homeowners. The loans can be for any amount between £1,000 and £15,000 and over a suitable repayment term of up to 15 years. The interest is subsidised by the local authority and therefore is a very competetive interest rate, fixed for the entire term of the loan, at 3%.

For further information please read the loans leaflet below or contact the private housing renewal unit  who will carry out an assessment of your financial resources and an assessment on your property to identify essential repairs to meet the government's Decent Homes standard. Alternatively complete the form below and send it in to us to start the process.

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Empty Property Loans

Loans are available to owners of empty private properties to bring them back into use for letting at affordable rent levels. Empty property Loans are available for up to £15,000 over a repayment term of five years. The interest is subsidised by the local authority and therefore is a very competetive interest rate, fixed for the entire term of the loan, at 3%. Conditions will applied during the five year repayment period to ensure that the property continues to be let during that time.

For further information please contact the Empty Property Unit  on 0117 3533873 or 3533861.

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Minor Works Assistance

All enquiries for financial assistance to help with essential repairs will initially be considered for subsidised loan rather than minor works assistance (grant). You will be subject to a simple financial assessment to calculate what level of disposable income you have  (i.e the difference between your income and your essential outgoings). However, if you are on a very low disposable income you may not be eligible for a loan.  Grant assistance is only offered where a member of your household is vulnerable-older, disabled or households with children under 16.

In some some circumstances, where the amount you could borrow on a subsidised loan is limited,  you may be offered a combined loan and grant scheme to help with the necessary repairs . 

All applicants must own and occupy the property for this form of assistance.

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Maintenance Assistance

This small grant is available to vulnerable householders whose properties meet the decent homes standard, but there are small works of repair needed to prevent the property from falling back into non decency.

Applicants must be aged over 60 years or in receipt on a means tested or long term disability benefit.

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Hospital Discharge Scheme

Hospital Discharge Assistance is available to owner-occupiers who are:

• On a means tested or long term disability benefit, or
• Aged over 60 years but have savings of less than £6,000. 

This grant would be available to deal with disrepair in the home that is affecting the health of the occupier and the works are required to facilitate discharge from hospital or to prevent re-admission to hospital.

Hospital Discharge Assistance is only available to deal with disrepair works and is not available for adaptations - Discretionary Adaptations Assistance is available if required for this purpose.

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Energy Efficiency Assistance

Energy Efficiency Assistance:

This assistance aims to improve the energy efficiency and alleviate fuel poverty by providing loft insualtion and cavity wall insulation for privately owned properties. Bristol City Council Private Housing and Adaptations Service is working in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and Domestic and General Insulation Limited  to achieve this. 

Full assistance is available to vulnerable private households ( excluding Housing Association tenants) and a subsidised scheme is available for non-vulnerable households.

Please contact the Centre for Sustainable Energy on 0800 512012 for more information and to register your interest, or email us  private.housing@bristol.gov.uk

 

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Warm Front Top Up Grants

Warm Front is a government funded scheme which provides grants to make your home warmer, healthier and more energy efficient.

You could receive a Warm Front grant of up to £2700 for improvements and where the works are for installing central heating systems, the Warm Front grant may not be sufficient to cover the full cost of works and you will have a contribution to make yourself. This is where our Warm Front Top Up grant can help you.

If you have a contribution to make towards the cost, contact us by telephone on  0117 353 3871 or by email private.housing@bristol.gov.uk and we can give you a grant to cover your contribution for a standard scheme of works. Or you can complete the Warm Front Top Up application form at the bottom of this page and return it to us with a copy of your Warm Front offer letter.

In normal circumstances the maximum amount of assistance available under this scheme is £1000, but we will consider topping up above this level if there are associated costs with the scheme and the price overall is deemed reasonable.

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Security Assistance

The following schemes are supported by Bristol City Council in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police, Crime Reduction Unit:

Bobby Van  – Help is available through the Bristol Bobby Van scheme to improve the secuity of  residential properties. The security measures are free to the following households:

• Vulnerable households who have been victims of crime - a crime reference number from the police will be required
• Potential victims living in a high crime area - you will be contacted by the police or live near to a property that was recently subject to a burglary
• Private landlord accreditation schemes run by the council's Private Housing and Adaptation Service or
• You are a victim of domestic abuse, race or hate crimes

Contact Private Housing Support Team on 0117 3533864 or by email to: private.housing@bristol.gov.uk

 

Alley Gates– targeted at households within a specified area who are at a higher than average risk of burglary by providing gates to back access lanes or alleys. Avon and Somerset Police will contact households eligible for their schemes.

The crime reduction unit are happy to give advice and support to residential schemes and in some circumstances, match funding may be available to help towards the cost of fitting gates where residents have already raised some of the funding themselves.

For more information please contact Holly Dawson, from the Avon & Somerset Police Crime Reduction team, on 0117 952 9743 or by email to:  holly.dawson@avonandsomerset.police.uk

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Move On Assistance

Move On Assistance is available to households with members aged over 55 or are disabled who wish to move to alternative accommodation, due to:

• The property failing to meet the decent homes standard where Minor Works Assistance or loan would not be considered a viable option; or
• The property is being under occupied and a smaller property would be more suitable

In these cases please contact Bristol Care and Repair on 0117 954 2222 who can assist vulnerable owners with the options and process of moving home.

OR

• Moving is considered a more appropriate option than the adaptation of the existing property for a disabled person.

In these circumstances, please contact Care Direct on 0117 903 6684  for adult cases or 0117 9038250 for childrens cases for a referral to be made to the adaptations team. A grant is available to assist with this option as an alternative to entitlement for disabled facilties grant but is subject to a means test.

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Contact Details

For further information about Bristols housing renewal policy for private sector housing please contact:

Private Housing Support Team : Tel: 0117 3533864 or by emailing us on private.housing@bristol.gov.uk

Bristol Care and Repair who offer help and advice to the elderly or disabled can be contacted at:
5 Hide Market,Waterloo Street, St. Phillips,Bristol BS2 0BH
Tel: 0117 954 2222
Fax: 0117 954 1717
E-mail: briscar@briscar.demon.co.uk

The Centre for Sustainable Energy who help with our Bristol Energy Efficiency Scheme (BEES) also give advice for energy saving measures and lowering fuel bills.

Tel: 0800 512012

 

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