Aids and adaptations are changes to your home that can help you live more safely and independently if you have a disability, health condition or reduced mobility.
If you think you need an adaptation to your home, the first step is to contact your local council and ask for an Occupational Therapy (OT) assessment.
An Occupational Therapist will assess your needs and consider what equipment or adaptations may help you. We need an OT recommendation or referral before we can consider carrying out an adaptation to your home.
You can contact the Adult Social Care or Occupational Therapy service at the council for the area where you live.
Once an Occupational Therapist has recommended an adaptation, Innisfree can consider the recommendation, the suitability of your home and how the work may be funded.
Adaptations can range from relatively small changes to significant alterations to your home.
An Occupational Therapist will assess your individual needs and recommend adaptations that may help you to:
Examples might include grab rails, changes to taps or fittings, ramps, a level-access shower or wet room, or a stairlift.
Not every adaptation will be suitable for every property. Once we receive an OT recommendation, we will consider your needs alongside the type of work required and whether the proposed adaptation is suitable for your home.
How an adaptation is funded will depend on the type and scale of the adaptation required.
Smaller adaptations may be funded and arranged by Innisfree following a recommendation from an Occupational Therapist.
A DFG is a grant provided by the local council to help pay for adaptations where a disabled person needs changes to their home. Housing association tenants can apply for a DFG.
DFGs are administered by local councils and eligibility and funding will be assessed by the council. Depending on your circumstances, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of the work.
You can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant through your local council.
The process normally starts with an assessment of your needs by an Occupational Therapist or other trained assessor. If a major adaptation is recommended, your council will explain how to make a DFG application and any financial assessment that is required.
You can contact your local council directly to ask for an Occupational Therapy assessment or information about applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant.
As your landlord, Innisfree will normally need to give permission for adaptation work to be carried out. The council or Occupational Therapist may therefore contact us as part of the application process.
Do not arrange or start major adaptation work yourself before the council has approved any DFG application and Innisfree has given any permission that is required.
Once an Occupational Therapist has recommended an adaptation to your home, please send the recommendation or referral to us if it has not already been sent directly by the OT or your council.
We will consider:
We may need to speak to you, your Occupational Therapist or your local council before agreeing how the adaptation will proceed.
If you have an OT recommendation to send us, email maintenance@innisfree.org.uk
You may want to make your own improvements or alterations to your Innisfree home.
Depending on what you want to do and the terms of your tenancy, you may need our written permission before work starts. General painting and decorating of the inside of your home does not need our written permission.
You should check with us before carrying out significant alterations or improvements to your home.
Depending on your tenancy and the proposed work, this could include changes to: fixtures or fittings
Please contact us before carrying out any alteration or improvement so we can discuss it with you.
This helps us make sure that the proposed work is safe, suitable for the property and does not affect the building, neighbouring homes or services.
Ask for permission to carry out a home improvement by emailing maintenance@innisfree.org.uk
Where our permission is required, you must receive it before work begins.
We may ask you to provide information about the proposed work so that we can consider your request.
If permission is granted, there may be conditions you need to follow. These could relate to how the work is carried out, relevant permissions or approvals, the standard of the finished work, or your responsibility for maintaining the alteration afterwards.
You remain responsible for obtaining any other approvals that may be required before carrying out work.
Do not assume that permission has been given until you have received written confirmation from us.
Where our permission is required, you must receive it before work begins.
We may ask you to provide information about the proposed work so that we can consider your request.
If permission is granted, there may be conditions you need to follow. These could relate to how the work is carried out, relevant permissions or approvals, the standard of the finished work, or your responsibility for maintaining the alteration afterwards.
You remain responsible for obtaining any other approvals that may be required before carrying out work.
Do not assume that permission has been given until you have received written confirmation from us.
Contact us about proposed work by emailing maintenance@innisfree.org.uk
If you carry out work without obtaining permission where it was required, we may ask you to provide further information, correct the work or restore the property.
You may be responsible for the costs associated with unauthorised or unsatisfactory alterations.
If you have already made a change and are unsure whether permission was required, please contact us so that we can advise you.
Contact us about proposed work by emailing maintenance@innisfree.org.uk
If you have made an authorised improvement or alteration, please speak to us before your tenancy ends.
Whether an improvement can remain in the property may depend on the type of work, the permission originally given and its condition.
We will tell you if anything needs to be removed or restored before you leave.
If a change is needed because of a disability, health condition or reduced mobility, speak to us about an aid or adaptation.
If you want to alter or improve the property yourself, speak to us about permission for a home improvement.
If you are unsure, contact your Housing Officer and we will help you identify the right process – housing@innisfree.org.uk
John Delahunty, CEO of Innisfree, has co-signed a letter to the new
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