Housing Options Guide 3b

3b. Home improvements for occupied private housing

Most people want to stay in their own home for as long as possible but may need help if there are problems with an old or unsuitable home.  Although the responsibility for maintaining a privately owned property should lie with the owner, our Scheme of Assistance aims to improve the condition of housing in Moray.  We can give free advice to home owners and private tenants, and in some cases may be able to offer grant assistance and practical help

Support to meet the new fire safety standard

The Fire safety standard in Scotland has changed.  Every home in Scotland must now meet the "Tolerable Standard", by having interlinked smoke and heat detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors will also be required if you have carbon-fuelled appliances in the property.  Information on the new standard is detailed in the Scottish Government Fire and smoke alarms: changes to the law factsheet.

All homeowners are responsible for ensuring that their property meets this requirement.

Our Care & Repair service has secured funding from Scottish Government to help qualifying homeowners meet this Fire Standard by providing interlinked heat and smoke alarms as well as carbon monoxide alarms.  The Scheme will be in line with the Scottish Government qualifying criteria.  To be eligible for support from Care & Repair you must live and own your home that has a Council Tax banding of A to C.  You must also either be of state pension age and in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit, or have a disability and be in a support group for Employment and Support Allowance.

If you have not installed heat and smoke detection to meet this standard, you feel you meet the above criteria and would like to be considered for assistance (resources permitting), please email us at: privatesectorhousing@moray.gov.uk.

Scheme of Assistance

Our Scheme of Assistance offers free advice and help to home owners and private tenants who wish to carry out home alterations, repairs, adaptations and improvements. This allows them to live comfortably and independently for as long as possible in their own home. Organising and financing building and repair work can be a complicated and stressful experience but we can help to ease the burden.

We can offer a Care and Repair service to home owners and private tenants who are over the age of sixty or who have a disability. This service can help them to have their homes improved, repaired or adapted. Housing grant assistance may be available for specific works for those who are on low incomes or have a disability. Under the Care and Repair service we can:

  • Offer help by discussing what improvements, repairs or adaptations are needed;
  • Help to get estimates from reputable contractors, and arrange for plans to be produced if needed;
  • Make sure the work is finished to an acceptable standard; and
  • Help with paperwork, including filling in a housing grant application.

Improvement grants for disabled adaptations

Housing grant assistance is only available to people who receive the Care and Repair service.  This could include work such as installing level access showers, ramps or stairlifts.

Grants may be available to adapt houses and make them suitable for occupants with disabilities.  

Most grants are discretionary and are usually subject to a test of financial resources (also called means testing). However, under certain conditions, some grants for adapting a property to suit the needs of a disabled person are mandatory, and we must approve these. Section 5 of our housing options guide has more information on housing options for people with disabilities.

Works that are eligible for a grant (Care and Repair clients only):

  • Work to bring the house up to the statutory Tolerable Standard by the provision of standard amenities. This could be works to address structural instability or eradication of severe dampness. Standard amenities are a sink, a fixed bath or shower, a wash hand basin and a toilet;
  • Alterations and enlargement where this is necessary to provide adequate kitchen or bathroom facilities where none currently exists. It may also be required to meet the needs of a disabled person.  A mandatory improvement grant is also available if a property already has a standard amenity, but needs a second one more suitably located for a disabled person.  For instance, a home may have an upstairs toilet but the occupant may have a disability that requires them to have access to a downstairs toilet.;
  • Replacement of unsafe electrical wiring;
  • Installation of mains powered smoke and heat detectors;
  • Provision of adequate thermal loft insulation if other works are being carried out;
  • Work needed to make the property suitable for the everyday living, welfare or employment of a disabled person. This includes purpose built extensions to accommodate a ground floor bathroom or bedroom;
  • Works to repair both the internal and external fabric of a house to maintain the property. For example, repairs to walls, roofs and the eradication of rot which could be affecting the structure;
  • The replacement of water supply pipes which are made of lead;
  • Work intended to reduce exposure to radon gas;
  • The provision of a fire retardant entrance door and a main door entry-phone system for buildings in common ownership.

Grants will not be awarded to cover works that:

  • Improve an already satisfactory house (for example, by enlarging a property);
  • Support the commercial activity of a landlord;
  • Are equivalent to building a new home (for example, where essentially a new home is built on little more than the foundations, or part of the walls of a derelict building).

Expenditure limits and eligibility are set by law and cannot usually be changed.  In very exceptional circumstances we can apply to the Scottish Government for an increase in the allowed limits.  The decision to do this is at our discretion.

Trusted Trader Scheme

The Moray Trusted Trader scheme is a local business partnership scheme aimed at increasing consumer confidence, promoting good practice within local business and helping protect citizens from doorstep crime.  

Trading Standards Trusted Traders have been vetted by Moray Trading Standards and the scheme is supported by Police Scotland and consumeradvice.scot (a part of Advice Direct Scotland).

Further information

Contact our Home Improvement Team:

Phone: 0300 1234 566

Email: homeimprovementteam@moray.gov.uk

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