If you currently live in a council property, there are organizations that can provide you with a grant for moving into a council house of between £25,000 and £44,000.
Local councils give grants for moving into a council house in the UK. For qualified families in the UK, vital financial assistance will be made available. With funds from the government’s Household Support Grant, they are also offering further assistance to low-income families who are being negatively impacted by the increases in the cost of living.
Instead of financial assistance, you may receive help in other forms. For instance, you might receive furniture, white goods, travel certificates, or retail cards. Delivery and installation or fitting charges should be covered if the grant is for furniture or white goods.
After receiving all the necessary information, your local council should make a decision about your application within 15 working days. By contacting the local council you applied to, you can follow up on your application.
Continue reading this article to get the best grants for moving into a council house in the UK.
Table of contents
What is a council house grant?
Grants for council houses are designed to assist with costs so that residents can remain in their neighborhoods and maintain intact families.
Grants for moving into a council house are arbitrary. This means that even if you are qualified, a grant will only be awarded to you if:
When the local council determines that you require a grant, there is money available in the budget to cover it. Grants for moving into a council house are not to be repaid.
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Who can get a council house grant?
If you are 16 years old or older and have a low income, you may qualify for a council house grant.
To qualify, you don’t need to receive benefits. However, you will be seen as having a low income if you get Income Support, an income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, an income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or Pension Credit.
Typically, you can only receive grants for moving into a council house from the local council where you now reside or where you’re moving.
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What situations can a council house grant help with?
To assist, you can apply for a council house grant if you need help with;
- After being incarcerated, in a nursing home, or a hospital, establish yourself in the community. You must have received care for at least three months or regularly choose to live in the community over entering a facility.
- You must demonstrate how a community care grant will assist lower the likelihood that you will need to enter foster care. Your physical or mental health, as well as your living arrangements in the community after an unsettling way of life, such as being homeless, may be the cause of this.
- If you or your family are under extreme stress, remain inside your home. Examples of extraordinary pressures include long-term illness or incapacity, the dissolution of a relationship that forces the family to relocate
- or the need to care for a person who is temporarily released from jail or a young offender’s facility.
Even if you’re unsure that you qualify, it’s always worth applying for grants for moving into a council house because they can cover a variety of situations.
Learn more – Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals 2024 [$30,000]
15 Best grants for moving into a council house in UK
1. Disabled Facilities Grants
You might be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant if you need home modifications because you are disabled (DFG).
A DFG is a means-tested grant that provides assistance with the cost of house modifications required to improve amenities and mobility within and outside the home, including: Stairlifts, Ramps, and Level Access Showers.
The award is up to a maximum of £50,000, however you might need to contribute to the cost of the work if you have a regular income or savings. An adaptation for a child is not subject to payment.
Visit their website here
2. Flexible Home Improvement Loan
A flexible home improvement loan may be of assistance to homeowners 60 years of age or older. They now have a low interest rate of 3.5% on our loans.
With a cap of 7%, the interest rate will fluctuate because it is tied to the Bank of England’s base rate, but it will always be lower than loans that are commercially accessible. While there are no ongoing payments required, the loan and any associated interest must be returned in the event that the home is sold or the owner (you) no longer resides in it.
If you’d like, you can set up a payment schedule to make regular monthly payments or only sporadic installments, and you can pay off the loan whenever you’d want without incurring any fees.
No catch exists. The government funds them so that they can assist people in staying in their own homes.
Visit their website here
3. Dementia Assistance Grants
With the help of the flexible Dementia Assistance Grant, people with dementia can make adaptations to their homes that will allow them to stay there longer and safely. The most that can be awarded is £2,500.
The award can be used to pay for modifications that make a house more dementia-friendly.
replacing floor coverings that pose a hazard or generate confusion
changing the bathroom fixtures or the tiles to enhance vision
Adding glass fronted cupboard doors will make it easier to identify what’s where in the kitchen.
Changing the lighting setup will increase visibility throughout the house.
Visit their website here
4. Essential Repair Grants
Small grants called Essential Housing Repair Grants (ERG) are provided to make dwellings more comfortable, secure, and warm.
Grants can be used for the following things:
- Minor home maintenance and repairs to help someone remain in their own home
- Profound repairs to bring the building up to code and weatherproof
- Energy measures, except circumstances in which a different grant is available.
The ERG may also give money to eligible owners of canal boats or mobile homes so they may pay for necessary repairs or energy-saving measures.
Visit their website here
5. Empty home loan
With the help of a flexible five-year loan, this program enables property owners to borrow money to renovate vacant homes to livable standards.
Eligibility
Vacant Houses Owners of vacant properties can apply for loans, as can people who are buying an empty property. Typically, a loan might be up to £20,000.
In unusual instances, such as when a landlord intends to rent the property through White Horse Lettings, the council’s own social lettings business, loans over £20,000 may be granted.
A credit check is done, and if the applicant has a bad credit history, the application may be rejected.
Applicants who have been previously declared bankrupt are not eligible for loans.
Visit their website here
6. Energy saving grants
Call Better Housing Better Health at 0800 107 0044 for free, unbiased information on grants and financing for energy-saving home modifications as well as discounts on energy bills.
Several financial programs are available to increase your home’s energy efficiency:
- Sustainable warmth grant
- Boiler upgrade scheme
- Energy company obligations
- Fuel poverty grant
- Warmth home grant
Visit their website here
7. Lendology CIC
Lendology CIC and the Council collaborate to offer low-cost loans to homeowners for renovations and repairs.
They also help in reducing costs for families who applied for grants for moving into a council house.
Visit their website here
8. Urgent Repair Grant
They help homeowners pay for necessary repairs, such as replacing a broken boiler or risky electrical work.
The most you can get is £1,000. You must either be over 60 or have a handicap or a chronic illness that limits your activities.
Request an urgent repair grant by calling WE Care Home Improvements at 0300 323 0700.
To determine whether the repairs are eligible, a WE Care officer will schedule a home visit.
Visit their website here
9. Household Support Fund
You can ask your local council for assistance through the Household Support Fund if you are having trouble paying your energy bills or other expenses around the house, such as those for food, phone service, and transportation.
Even if you already receive another type of household support, you can still be eligible. This financing is accessible through March 30, 2024. Families with children must receive a third of the cash, and retirees must receive a second third.
Your local council will evaluate your situation and determine whether you are eligible for assistance. The council will also choose what kind of assistance to provide you with. Vouchers, real items like food, direct payments, grants, or other options are all possible.
Visit their website here
10. Local Welfare Assistance
Ask your council whether they offer a Local Welfare Assistance Scheme in England if you need assistance right away (Scottish Welfare Fund in Scotland).
These assist those with modest incomes with paying for unexpected bills. Contact your local council to learn about the assistance that is offered in your region.
Visit their website here
Find out more – SheDecides Spark Grants 2024 (Up to $20,000)
FAQs
With the exception of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, you can purchase a home on the open market anywhere in the UK. The property must fall within your permitted mortgage amount. Check before you make an offer because the maximum value of the property you can purchase might change annually.
Yes. You will be given preference and may be qualified for the grant. They register the size of the property you are for, not the size of the one you now reside in, will determine the amount of the grant you receive.
By the time you exchange contracts for the house you’re buying, we’ll have paid your solicitors.
Until the day you successfully close on the purchase of your new house, your solicitor cannot release the funds.
Conclusion
A local Council is responsible for grants for moving into a council house and has the authority to provide financial aid to tenants who want to leave their council house and purchase a home on the open market through the Home Purchase Grant program.
In order to re-let the freed-up council properties to new families who applied for grants for moving into a council house are currently on the housing waiting list.
The program runs on a “first come, first served” basis because there is a certain amount of cash for the program and a finite number of awards available.
References
- Southwark.gov.uk – Home Purchase Grant scheme
- Bathnes.gov.uk – UK Grants and loans
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