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Apply for a home improvement grant

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You may be able to get a grant to make essential repairs and improvements to your home. Find out if you can apply and how to do this.

Who can apply?

  • you must have lived in your home as the only or main residence for at least twelve months before applying
  • your home must be in council tax band E or below
  • you must live in Guildford Borough

We will consider other applications on an individual basis.

What does the grant cover?

The works must:

  • deal with serious hazards, such as dangerous electrics, severe dampness
  • make homes decent, for example, if your home needs essential repairs and improvements, such as re-roofing, or replacement windows
  • be replacing essential facilities, such as kitchen, bathrooms, or defective services

See the Government's Decent Homes standard for more information.

Grant conditions

These grants must be repaid if the property is sold within 25 years.

The maximum grant is £12,000.

We will check your income and savings and ability to meet the cost of repairs to decide if you need to help with the cost of the repairs. We have an exceptions policy should you not meet the current eligibility criteria.

How to apply

  1. Please contact Customer Services using our online support form (opens new window) or call 01483 505050
  2. Do not start repair/improvement work until we give you approval
  3. We will contact you within five days of receiving your enquiry
  4. We can advise you on other options if we cannot give you a grant

Next stage

  1. We will give you an estimate of how much of the work you need may be covered by a grant
  2. We will send you an application form to fill in
  3. You will need to get three builders' quotes for how much the work will cost. (Our Care and Repair Team can help you organise this.)
  4. When we get your form, we will decide within three weeks if the grant is approved, and how much will be paid by you and how much by us

Carrying out the work

  • if our Care and Repair Team are helping you, they will supervise the repair/improvement works
  • we will check the work once it is finished to make sure it has been done correctly
  • if you are paying some of the cost of the work, you can tell us if we pay you or the contractor
  • the grant usually has the condition that it can be registered as a land charge against the property. We will let you know this during the grant process