Cost of living: Homeowners in Ireland can claim up to €30,000 to adapt their property

Adapting your home is very expensive but for some it's a necessity, thankfully there are some grants and schemes in place to help with the financial burden - here's one

Adapting your home to be more accessible is necessary for thousands but unfortunately it's extremely expensive.

The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability is a grant for people with a physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability.

It provides funding so you can improve how you enter and move around your home.

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Here's everything you need to know about it and how to apply.

What does the grant cover?

You can use this grant to make your home more accessible by:

• Adding ramps or other ways to access your home
• Extending your home to create more space, for example, adding a downstairs bedroom
• Adding accessible bathroom facilities, such as an accessible shower or a ground-floor bathroom or toilet
• Installing a stair lift
• Installing grab rails
• Installing a fixed track hoist. (This is a ceiling or wall-mounted track with a sling attached to it, which means you can be mechanically lifted and moved to different places along the track).

How much is the grant?

The maximum grant you can get is €30,000 or 95% of the cost of the work (whichever is less). The amount of money you get depends on your household income for the previous tax year.

If your household income is less than €30,000, you may get 95% of the cost of the works up to the maximum grant amount of €30,000.

If your house is less than 12 months old, the grant will not be more than €14,500.

As household income increases, the percentage of the costs paid by the grant gradually reduce from 95% to 30%. So, if you have a household income of between €50,001 and €60,000, you will qualify for 30% of the costs.

You may not get the maximum grant, even if you qualify for it. This is because the grant is paid by your local authority and depends on what funding they have available. They will decide whether they can pay you the full grant, or a percentage of the grant.

You will not get a grant if your gross annual household income is over €60,000.

How to apply

Download an application form (pdf) or contact your local authority and ask for one to be posted to you.

The form has a section that must be completed and signed by a doctor.

You may also need professional advice from a building contractor when filling in the section about the work you want to get done and how much you think it will cost.

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