Home adaptations
Our approach to adaptations
If you or someone in your household has a disability, you may need an adaptation to your home to help you live more comfortably. We will do what we can to help. What we mean by adaptations
For some residents, small changes can make a big difference to their everyday lives. Minor adaptations include things like:
- improving the lighting if you have a visual impairment
- installing a warning system if you have a hearing impairment
- providing you with storage space or recharging facilities for your wheelchair
- lowering light switches or your central heating thermostat.
- fitting hand or grab rails or fitting lever taps if you find normal ones difficult to turn
- fitting a seat in your shower
- raising your toilet to make it easier to use
- removing trip hazards or putting protective edges around your home to avoid accidents with sharp corners
Some residents need bigger changes. These major adaptations take more time to organise and include things like:
- improving access to your home, for example by constructing a ramp
- making your home wheelchair accessible
- fitting a level access or over-bath shower
- installing a stairlift or a lift that rises through a floor
- fitting a changing stretcher or ceiling hoist
- installing an automatic door entry system.
What you can expect from our service
We aim to complete 95% of minor adaptations within 15 days of you requesting them and 95% of major adaptations within 14 weeks of getting agreement from the council on funding.
What will happen after you request an adaptation
Our adaptations co-ordinator will talk with you about what changes might make it easier for you to live in your home.
Before going ahead with a major adaptation we must ask Social Services to send the local occupational therapy service. They will visit you to assess your needs and make their recommendations. To help pay for the work, we apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant from your local authority on your behalf. These adaptations take a while to organise but we will give regular updates on how your application is progressing.
If the occupational therapist disagrees that you need an adaptation, or if your local authority refuses funding, then we will contact you to discuss possible alternatives.
In most cases we undertake major adaptation work ourselves but some local authorities prefer to do the work themselves. If your home is no longer suitable for you or it cannot be adapted for structural reasons, please contact our lettings department. You may be able to move to another property that is more suitable for your needs or one that has already been adapted.
Repairs to adaptations
If you have an adaptation fitted and it needs to be repaired, please report the repair to our adaptations co-ordinator. Our normal repairs service does not include repairs to adaptations.
Making sure we are succeeding
We conduct satisfaction surveys after every adaptation and every year we consider the feedback when we review how we can improve the service.