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Financial assistance for home improvements

We offer a range of services to help you improve your home without the hassle or the big price tag.  This includes:

• advice – we can identify repairs and give you assistance
• financial help – we have a range of grants and loans
• project management – we can help you to plan and oversee the work to you home
• temporary accommodation - if the work required causes major distrupion  

Overview of financial assistance

All financial assistance packages are discretionary and are subject to funds being available.  Assistance may be limited or discontinued at any time.  In most instances, you will need to be over 18 years of age and have resided in your property for at least three years prior to an application.  Terms and conditions apply.

Decent homes assistance:

A grant of up to £15,000 is available to help vulnerable residents improve their property to meet the decent homes standard.  Improvements could include providing modern amenities, heating, increasing insulation and repairs. 

Renovation assistance:

A grant of up to £15,000 is available to help homeowners address unfitness and improve the repair standard. 

Housing facelift:

A grant is available to fund work to the external parts of the property on condition the owner agrees to bring the interior up to meet the decent homes standard within five years.

Affordable warmth assistance:

A grant is available to help homeowners provide adequate heating and energy saving measures.  This could include the installation of a highly efficient heating systems, roof insulation and low energy light bulbs. 

Home repairs assistance:

A grant is available of up to £3,000 to help homeowners with low incomes and in receipt of a qualifying benefit to improve health and safety aspects of their home.  This could include repairing or replacing electrical wiring, heating and hot water facilities, windows, ceilings, floors that are liable to collapse or treatment of significant rising or penetrating damp.

Home energy assistance:

A grant of up to £5,000 is available to help low income households address fuel poverty. This could include installing highly efficient heating systems, upgrading heating controls and management systems, roof insulation, tank and pipe lagging and low energy light bulbs.

Warm-front top-up:

A grant of up to £2,000 is available to help low income households meet their contribution towards a warm-front grant (which is normally worth £2,700).  Work could include provision of highly efficient heating systems or upgrading the heating controls and management systems.

To find out more about warn-front grants, go to www.warmfront.co.uk

Renewable loan:

Assistance is available to help meet the cost of installing a renewable energy source in your home.  Work could include installation of solar thermal water heating, photovoltaics, ground source heat pump or micro CHP. 

Affordable loans:

Low cost fixed rate loans are available to help people improve their property to meet the decent homes standard.  The maximum loan assistance payable is normally £20,000 subject to sufficient equity being available in the property. 

To apply:

For more information and for full terms and conditions, contact the Housing Renewals team on 023 9283 4538 or email housing.privatesector@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Associated documents:

• 2007 House Renovation Handbook  (1.10 MB)

• Home repairs enquiry form for homeowners  (0.04 MB)

• Decent homes leaflet  (0.49 MB)

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