The Home Repairs Assistance Grant is aimed at helping owner occupiers and tenants carry out small scale work to their homes. It is available for moderate repairs and improvements, basic security measures and adaptations.

You can get up to £5,000 over three years. The amount you get depends on the type of work, not your income.

Under current grants prioritisation scheme, new applications for home repairs assistance grants are unlikely to be approved, unless you can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.

• What work is included?
• What properties are eligible?
• Who can apply?
• How is the grant paid?

What work is included?

The Home Repairs Assistance Grant is aimed at helping you to improve the outside of your property. However, you can also apply for help with moderate repairs to the inside of your home.

The types of work which can be carried out are prioritised in the following order:

• repairs to the outside of the property,
• electrical wiring and home security measures,
• adaptations to kitchens, bathrooms and plumbing,
• central heating and insulation.

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What properties are eligible?

You can usually only apply for a Home Repairs Assistance Grant if your home:

• meets the Housing Executive fitness standards but is in disrepair,
• is unfit but will meet the Housing Executive fitness standards if you get one Home Repairs Assistance Grant.

Even if your home isn't in disrepair you can apply for a Home Repairs Assistance Grant if:

• you live in one of the targeted areas,
• you are over 60 years of age.

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Who can apply?

You can apply for a Home Repairs Assistance Grant if you are an owner occupier or a tenant. Landlords can't apply for a Home Repairs Assistance Grant.

You must be over 18 years of age and receiving a means tested benefit, for example:

• income based jobseeker's allowance,
• income support,
• working tax credit,
• pension credit (Guarantee credit element),
• attendance allowance,
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance,
• disability living allowance,
• long term incapacity benefit.

Even if you don't receive one of these benefits you may be able to apply for a Home Repairs Assistance Grant if you are over 60 years of age and live in one of the targeted areas.

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How is the grant paid?

The Housing Executive will pay the grant when the work is completed to its satisfaction and you have sent:

• accounts,
• receipts,
• certificates.

You may be able to apply for an interim payment once you have completed 25 per cent of the work. However, this is at the discretion of the Grants Manager.

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