We are committed to making a lasting difference to the day to day lives of our residents by supporting them to live independently and making the best use of the facilities within their home.
What are aids and adaptations?
Aids and adaptations are alterations to make your home easier to live in, so you or a member of your family can enjoy more independence. We do this through the provision of an aids and adaptations service which is available to all housing association tenants who meet the eligibility criteria.
Adaptations are classed in two different categories, minor and major.
Minor adaptations include:
- Changing your current taps to lever taps
- Grab rails
- Fitting extra handrails to support you using the stairs or external steps
- Adapting lighting or heating controls to make them easier to use
- Half steps to your front or back doors
- Key safe requests
Major adaptations include:
- Improving access to the upstairs of your property by installing a stairlift or through the floor lift
- Improving your bathroom facilities by removing your bath and installing a flush floor shower or wet room
- Installing external ramps to your property to enable easier access
- Improving access to your kitchen by having lower height work tops and units
When we undertake modernisation, improvement works, or replacement of bathrooms and kitchens we undertake individual surveys to pick up any residents' adaptation needs before any work commences, for example these could consist of minor adaptations or installation of walk in shower room conversions.
What is the first step?
If you require a minor adaptation you should contact us with your request. We may be able to help straight away, or may need to send a surveyor to discuss the adaptation with you.
If you require a major adaptation, such as a shower or lift you will need to have an occupational therapist assess your needs first. Occupational therapists work for your local authority or health authority and can assess what adaptations are needed to make your home more suitable for your needs. Our staff are not trained to this level so will advise when an occupational therapist is required. Your local council or GP can tell you who to contact to arrange an occupational therapist to attend, or you can contact us and we can help you contact the correct person.
Please note in some areas waiting times for assessments can differ. When you are enquiring about an occupational therapist you may wish to ask about waiting times - find out more about occupational therapy.
What happens next?
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The Occupational Therapist will visit you at home and write a report explaining what adaptations are needed.
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This information is passed to the Adaptations Surveyor for your area. The occupational therapist will send us a referral letter listing the adaptations required.
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If the works are simple and low-cost (usually minor adaptations), we can normally approve them quickly. Our contractor will then contact you directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
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If the works are larger or more costly (usually major adaptations), we may need a quote before we can proceed. If the cost is higher than our budget allows, you will need to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant from your local authority, as these works cannot be funded by Hyde.
What is a Disabled Facilities Grant?
A Disabled Facilities Grant is a grant awarded to you by your local authority to cover the cost of adaptations needed to your property as detailed by an occupational therapist. You will be assessed by your local authority to determine whether you are eligible for a grant. If you are eligible they will advise on how much you will be awarded, this will be decided through a financial means test. The local authority will take into consideration your income and savings before deciding how much grant you may be entitled to.
If you are eligible for a grant then the local authority will look into carrying out the adaptation and will liaise with us. Find out more about the Disabled Facilities Grant process (GOV.UK)
Who maintains the adaptations?
We will normally maintain all adaptations installed, even when grant funded (once warranty period has expired however we will review your rent charge to reflect any maintenance and repair costs). We will not maintain an adaptation is if this has been installed and paid for privately by a resident.
- If you need more advice please read our frequently asked questions below or contact us.
- Find out how we helped Shana get her independence back
- Our customer policies
FAQS
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Do I have to pay for minor or major adaptation work?
Minor adaptations
No, minor adaptations up to £1000 will be paid for by us, subject to meeting our criteria. Some minor adaptations can be agreed over the phone, for example lever taps. Works above this will need further assessment and maybe a referral to an occupational therapist.
Major adaptatations
Once assessed and approved, major adaptations will usually be funded through a Disabled Facilities grant dependent on whether or not you meet the eligibility criteria and pass their financial assessment.
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Will I need to be referred to an occupational therapist before I can have adaptation work completed?
For some more complex minor adaptations, you may need an occupational therapist referral.
Requests for major adaptations will always need to be accompanied by an occupational therapist's assessment.
This assessment is free of charge.
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How long will it take for an adaptation to be completed?
Minor adaptations
We aim to complete straightforward adaptations, such as lever taps and grab rails within 20 working days from your request. More complex jobs may take longer.
Major adaptations
For major adaptation work, the whole major adaptation process can be very long due to the high demand on this service. Our surveyor may be able to give you an indication of approximately how long you may have to wait when you make an application based on our recent experience with your local authority. However this can differ as the waiting list is held with the local authority for grant funding and not with Hyde.
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How can I find out what’s happening with my request for a major adaptation?
Most major adaptations are funded by Disabled Facilities grants which are usually reliant on available council budgets. You can phone your council directly to receive an update on your application or your assigned adaptions surveyor can contact the council on your behalf.
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Can I request an aid and adaptation if I am a homeowner?
No, but you can apply for an adaptation under a Disabled Facilities grant direct with your local council.
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Can you guarantee my request for an adaptation will be agreed?
We do our best to meet all requests for minor adaptations, but we cannot guarantee this. Minor adaptations are funded through an annual budget set aside for this purpose. If the budget has been spent, we may need to place you on a waiting list until the following year. We will let you know at the time of your request if this is the case, and contact you again when funding becomes available.
Also, in some situations, it may not be practical to carry out adaptations to your home due to its size, construction, location, or the number of adaptations required. If this happens, we may encourage you to consider moving to a property that is more suitable for your needs or easier to adapt.
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Are there things that Hyde are not able to help with?
Yes, we are unable to provide equipment such as bath aids and commodes, as these are provided by social services. We will let you know if this is the case and will be able to direct you to your local authority or health authority who may be able to assist.
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What happens if my request for a Disabled Facilities grant is refused?
If your request for a Disabled Facilities grant is refused, Hyde may be able to fund the adaptations for you, subject to available budget and specific approvals.
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Do I need to ask for permission from Hyde to adapt my property if I am funding the adaptation myself?
Yes, you must ask for permission before making any major adaptations to your home.
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Can changes be made to communal areas?
Yes, adaptations to communal areas will be considered and will be subject to an occupational therapist referral, available budget and specific approvals.
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Will I be asked for feedback following completion of my adaptation work?
Yes, our surveyors will undertake post inspections or call directly to obtain feedback to improve our services. These surveys are optional.
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If I am in rent arrears will my adaptation still be approved?
This will be dependent upon the amount of rent arrears and if you are currently reducing these. If you are sticking to your agreed plan to reduce your arrears then normally we will still give permission for them to proceed. If you are not sticking to your payment plan then it is likely we will withhold permission until your rent arrears are reduced or cleared. We will look into each case’s individual merit.