Transforming homes for independence

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a government grant in the UK designed to help fund adaptations and changes in the home to support disabled people. 

These changes are all about making your home safer and easier to get around, so you can stay independent. This can cover a variety of changes, such as installing ramps, widening doorways, or adding a stairlift. 

As well as replacing bathrooms, kitchens, windows and doors as part of our ongoing maintenance and upgrade programme, our in-house contractor APS (Arthington Property Services) also carries out DFG adaptations on our behalf. 

Over the past year, APS has carried out adaptations in 57 customer homes, helping people live more safely, comfortably, and independently.

In two recent examples, APS transformed traditional bathrooms into more accessible wet rooms. Customers share their feedback about the DFG process and the adaptations they had: 

Thanks to a DFG, long-term customers Mr and Mrs Taylor now have a modern mobility wet room to help them stay safe and independent. 

Mrs Taylor said, “The contractors from APS were very polite, friendly, and professional and did an exceptionally good job. We’re both really pleased with what they’ve done. It wasn’t a one-day job; they had to come and do the works over a fortnight.”     

Mr and Mrs Wagstaff were also thrilled with the results of their mobility wet room and highlight the customer service they received from APS. 

Mrs Wagstaff said, “Firstly, I couldn't fault customer service, they responded very quickly. After an initial assessment by social services, the work was agreed upon and commenced sometime later. 

The bathroom was fully revamped and turned into a fully functional wet room, with all the safety features needed. I was given choices of colour and materials, and although it took a little while for the work to commence, the final result has been a welcomed asset. 

I just wanted to say, ‘thank you’ and congratulate you and your team on a first-class bathroom refit. Although it has been quite a hectic two weeks, the results are breathtaking. We are delighted with the result. Keep up the good work!” 

How to get home adaptations through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) 

If you need changes made to your home to help with your day-to-day life, here’s how the process works: 

• Contact your local council’s Adult Social Care team 
  You’ll need to ask for a visit from an Occupational Therapist (OT). This is usually called a "needs assessment." Use the links below to get started, depending on where you live: 
  - Leeds Council - Needs assessment  
  - North Yorkshire Council - Needs assessment 
  - Kirklees Council - Needs assessment 
  - Wakefield Council - Needs assessment 

• Get assessed by an OT 
  The OT will visit you to understand what changes you need at home. 

• OT makes a recommendation 
  If adaptations are needed, the OT will send their recommendation to your local council for a DFG. 

• The council contacts us 
  Your council will then pass the OT’s recommendation and the DFG request to us at Leeds Federated. 

• If it’s a go, we’ll let you know 
  If the changes are doable, we’ll confirm that we’ve received the request and send out our in-house contractor, APS, to give us a quote for the work. 

• We send the quote to the council 
  Once we get the quote from APS, we send it back to the council for approval. 

• Work begins 
  As soon as we get the green light from the council, APS will get in touch with you to arrange a start date for the work.