Financial Assistance for Owner Occupiers

Homes that are in serious disrepair can have an impact on your health and welfare. In these cases the Council may provide the following assistance: Interest Free Equity Mortgage – For larger scale works up to £10,000 Safe and Secure Grant – For small scale essential works up to £1000. Affordable Warmth Grant  – Works to enable new heating installations or improvements or help with ‘toping up’ Government ‘Warmfront’ Grants. Download a leaflet from the right hand side of this page

Interest Free Equity Mortgage

If you are an owner-occupier on a means tested benefit or low income and you need financial help to carry out essential repairs to your home, then you maybe eligible for North Dorset District Council’s Interest Free Equity Mortgage.

This financial assistance package enables eligible residents in North Dorset to carry out essential external and internal repairs to their homes including improving heating systems, electrical systems, thermal insulation or reducing health and safety hazards, such as the risk of falls. The maximum loan available is up to £10,000 of the cost of the eligible works.

The Equity Mortgage available from us is a secured loan on the property by legal charge. The loan is interest free with no repayable term and is repaid when the property is eventually sold or transferred or in the event of the death of the applicant.

In administering this assistance the Council always ensures that:

• the property is improved towards achieving the Decent Homes Standard (link)
• obtaining a loan is the best course of action for the applicant
• there is sufficient equity in the property, and
• the applicant understands their commitment and has made an informed choice

It is also important to remember that The Council will not repossess any property in order to recover a loan. If the property is jointly owned, the loan will remain with the property until the death of all the owners or upon the sale or transfer of the property.

The following eligibility criteria applies;

• the applicant must be over 18 years of age and the property that is the subject of the loan must be the only or main residence of the applicant
• the applicant must have owned and occupied the dwelling for a minimum period of 1 year
• the applicant must have a qualifying interest in the property as an owner occupier. An owner occupier includes a leaseholder with a minimum of 20 years unexpired on the lease.

Other conditions apply and those applicants not in receipt of a means tested benefit will be subject to a test of financial resources. Please contact North Dorset District Council for a no obligation Provisional Enquiry Pack or download a Customer Information Document and Provisional Enquiry Form from the right side of this page.

Safe and Secure Grant

This grant helps owner occupiers and tenants who are over 60 years of age and on certain means tested benefits with the cost of small scale works that help them to ‘stay-put’ safely within their own home. The minimum grant is £50.00 with the maximum grant being £1000. It can potentially cover a wide range of works including:

• carrying out urgent minor repairs that affect the occupation of the home
• preventing falls or reducing hazards or risks that are likely to cause serious harm or injury
• examples of eligible works may include:
  
  water supply and drainage issues
  electrical and gas safety
  repairs or modifications to stairs, floors and steps
  safety and security issues

Please note that grant assistance will not be provided for tenanted properties where the eligible works would be the normal responsibility of the landlord.

Applicant’s must be 60 years of age or over and be in receipt of one of the following means tested benefits:

• Income Support
• Pension Credit (Guaranteed or Savings element)
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Households in receipt of either working tax credit or child tax credit providing the person entitled to the tax credit has a relevant income of less than the maximum, as defined for the purpose of determining eligibility for the tax credit (currently £15,460).

The applicant must occupy the property as his or her only or main residence.

For more information please contact North Dorset District Council.

Affordable Warmth Grant

Owner Occupiers may also be eligible for an Affordable Warmth Grant to help with the costs of installing new heating systems, repairing boilers or help with ‘topping-up’ Central Government ‘Warmfront’ Grants.

Anchor Staying Put

Home Improvement Agency

People over the age of 60 or people with a disability can contact the Council supported Home Improvement Agency run by Anchor Staying Put for confidential advice and support in making an application to the Council for the above financial assistance and for a wide range of other housing related queries.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Owner-Occupiers with a disability may also be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant.

Interest Free Equity Mortgage Customer Information Document

Interest Free Equity Mortgage Provisional Enquiry Form

Financial Assistance Leaflet