Is your home rundown, in a poor state of repair or a danger to health and safety?
We can give you expert advice or assist you to access an affordable loan to carry out essential repairs, improve your home or make it safe.
For some types of work such as adaptations for people with disabilities or are elderly; or if you cannot access an affordable loan for repairs or improvements, we may be able to help you to access grant assistance.
We assist in creating sustainable neighbourhoods, which are clean, desirable and safe to live in by working with homeowners to carry out area based block improvements and facelift schemes, in areas identified in the Neighbourhood Action Plans.
Background Information
The Council has developed a Private Sector Housing Renewal Strategy 2009-2012| to which is appended the Private Sector Housing Financial Assistance Policy.
This policy sets out the range of measures aimed at improving and maintaining healthy and safe living conditions within the existing housing stock and specifically seeks to help homeowners to improve, repair and adapt their properties.
The policy sets out the advice, practical support, and loan and grant assistance that is available to home owners and residents in the borough, together with the eligibility criteria and the conditions that will be applied.
There is emphasis on testing the homeowner’s ability to contribute to the cost of works. This is in line with the Government’s view that “it is primarily the responsibility of homeowners to maintain their own property”.
The assistance will target those who are elderly, disabled or on a low income. The assistance that is available follows the principles of loan first, grant last resort, and focuses on providing financial options for those who are excluded from mainstream sources of finance.
Assistance will also be targeted at preventing decline within neighbourhoods in need of support.