The OT assessment and DFG process for a home lift, step by step

Our grants guide covers eligibility and amounts. This page follows one English application from first call to final payment, with the law behind each step. Scotland runs a different system: see our Scotland guide.

The stages at a glance

The government’s Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: guidance for local authorities in England (first published March 2022) sets best-practice targets in working days, shown below. They are not legal deadlines.

Six months for a decision is the legal limit (section 34 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996). Everything else in the table is guidance.

Step 1: ask for an assessment

You do not need a GP referral. The NHS guide to needs assessments says “anyone can ask for one” and that it is free: contact social services at your council by phone or online. GOV.UK’s apply-for-a-DFG page finds your council by postcode. In two-tier areas the county arranges the OT and the district council handles the grant. Foundations, the government-funded national body for home improvement agencies and the DFG in England, also runs Adapt My Home, a guided self-assessment.

Describe the difficulty, for example reaching the only toilet upstairs. Leave the choice of equipment to the assessment.

Step 2: the occupational therapist’s assessment

The OT visits, watches how the disabled person manages, and recommends works. The DFG guidance allows trained “trusted assessors” to handle simple cases. A through-floor lift is rarely one.

Waiting times

We found no national figure for OT waits in England: ADASS counts people waiting for social care assessments but does not separate OT. In Wales, the Older People’s Commissioner’s 2025 report Time to Adapt found a quarter of local authorities reported average OT assessment waits of more than three months. In England, ask your council for its current wait when you first call.

Step 3: the two legal tests

Section 24(3) of the 1996 Act says the housing authority must not approve a grant unless it is satisfied that:

• the works are “necessary and appropriate to meet the needs of the disabled occupant”, and
• it is “reasonable and practicable to carry out the relevant works having regard to the age and condition” of the building.

A housing authority that is not also the social services authority must consult social services on the first test, which is where the OT’s recommendation comes in. The second test is about the property: Foundations’ guidance on DFG decisions notes a house in serious disrepair may fail it.

Step 4: the cheaper option usually wins

Foundations’ guidance on DFG decisions is direct: “Where there are potential alternative options for the relevant works that could meet the required purposes, then the authority would usually choose the lower-cost option.” Its example is that “a stairlift or utilising an existing ground floor room is likely to be preferred over building a new bedroom”. If you want the more expensive option, the grant is normally based on the cheaper one and you pay the difference.

So the OT will ask why a stairlift will not do. Reasons that may count include a wheelchair user who cannot transfer, or a staircase unsuitable for a rail. See our stairlift vs home lift guide. At £13,000 to £28,000 installed for a through-floor lift (UK, 2026), a lift can fit under the £30,000 cap, but the stairlift question comes first.

Step 5: the test of resources

For adults, GOV.UK says the grant depends on household income and on household savings over £6,000. The result is a contribution you must pay before the grant covers the rest, and it can be nil. Disabled children under 18 can get a grant without their parents’ income being taken into account. The person must also intend to live in the property for the grant period, which GOV.UK says is usually five years, shorter for someone terminally ill.

Some councils waive the means test for smaller works (see step 9).

Step 6: application, schedule of works and quotes

The formal application is the point the six-month clock starts. It usually includes the OT’s recommendation, a schedule of works, and quotes or a price from the council’s contractor. GOV.UK notes that planning permission or Building Regulations approval are separate applications, and the council may require an architect or surveyor to oversee the job. Our building regulations guide covers what a lift needs.

Some councils use framework contractors instead. Our research on what councils pay for home lifts found Hillingdon issuing cases to its provider from its housing grants and adaptations team, and Durham’s through-floor lift framework working out at a ceiling of roughly £20,000 per lift. If your council uses a framework, you may be offered only the brands on it. If you would rather use a different installer, ask how the council treats a dearer quote before you commit.

HMRC zero-rates a lift installed to help a disabled person move between floors, so give the installer a VAT eligibility declaration before you are invoiced.

Step 7: approval, and why nothing starts before it

Section 34 requires the council to notify you in writing “not later than six months after the date of the application” whether it is approved or refused. An approval states the eligible works and the grant.

Section 29(1) says a council “shall not approve an application for a grant if the relevant works have been begun before the application is approved”. It may still approve where there were good reasons for starting early, but never once the works are finished. Do not pay a deposit, sign an order or let an installer start until the approval letter arrives.

Section 36 is often misread as a 12-month payment deadline. It actually lets a council defer payment to a date up to 12 months after the application, which Foundations says is for exceptional circumstances. Separately, GOV.UK says work should be finished within 12 months of approval.

Step 8: installation and payment

GOV.UK says the grant is paid either in instalments as work progresses or in full at the end, once you and the council are happy with the finished work, or when you hand over the contractor’s invoice. Ask at approval who the council pays and when your contribution, if any, is due. UK Homelifts does not sell, supply or install lifts and takes no commission on any contractor the council uses.

Step 9: top-ups, repayment and servicing

Discretionary top-ups

The Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 gives councils a general power to help people “adapt or improve living accommodation”. The DFG guidance says that power can only be used under a published Housing Assistance Policy. Search your council’s name plus “housing assistance policy” to find what it offers: some add money above the £30,000 cap, some fast-track small works, and some relax the means test.

Repayment if you sell

Foundations’ guidance on DFG decisions says councils may place a local land charge where the grant exceeds £5,000 and the property is sold within 10 years of completion, with a maximum charge of £10,000. Councils keep discretion to waive it, for example in cases of financial hardship or where the person has to move for health or care reasons. The DFG guidance encourages councils not to place a charge for a child in a long-term foster placement.

Servicing

The grant pays for the lift, not running costs of about £400 to £800 a year (UK, 2026). Servicing alone is published at £195 to £750 a year; see what a home lift service costs.

Home improvement agencies

The DFG guidance says councils “should consider providing a Home Improvement Agency service”. A home improvement agency (HIA) can draw up the schedule of works, get prices, supervise the builder and chase the paperwork. Foundations runs Find My HIA to locate yours.

Wales and Northern Ireland

Wales uses the same 1996 Act, so the tests, the six-month decision and the ban on starting early all apply. The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales found end-to-end waits ranging from 196 days in Torfaen to 692 in Ceredigion. Northern Ireland’s Housing Executive also says no work may start before written approval.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a GP referral for a Disabled Facilities Grant?

No. Anyone can ask their council’s adult social care team for a needs assessment, and it is free. The council arranges an occupational therapist, whose recommendation is the starting point for the grant. In two-tier areas the county arranges the assessment and the district council handles the grant itself.

Will the council pay for a through-floor lift instead of a stairlift?

Only if a stairlift would not meet the need. Councils normally choose the lower-cost option that meets the assessed need. Where a stairlift would work, the grant is usually based on the stairlift and you would pay the difference for a lift. A lift is more likely where the person uses a wheelchair, cannot transfer safely, or the staircase cannot take a stairlift.

How long does the council have to decide on my DFG?

Six months from the date of a full application, under section 34 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. The time before the application, covering the occupational therapist’s assessment and the means test, is not covered by that limit. Government guidance sets best-practice targets of 55 to 180 working days end to end.

What happens if work starts before the grant is approved?

The council must not approve a grant for work already begun unless there were good reasons for starting early, and it cannot approve one for work already finished. Starting early can mean losing the grant entirely. Wait for the written approval before paying a deposit, signing a contract or letting an installer on site.

Do I have to pay the grant back if I sell my house?

Possibly. English councils may register a local land charge where the grant was more than £5,000 and the home is sold within 10 years of the work being completed. The most they can reclaim is £10,000. Councils can waive repayment, for example for financial hardship or where the person moves for health or care reasons.

Can the council add money above the £30,000 limit?

Yes, if its published Housing Assistance Policy allows it. Councils have a general power under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) Order 2002 to give extra help with adaptations, such as top-ups, loans or fast-track schemes. Each council sets its own rules, so ask for a copy.

UK Homelifts is an independent information site. We do not sell, supply, install or service lifts and are not affiliated with any manufacturer. This page is general information, not legal, financial or benefits advice. Check your own circumstances with your council, an occupational therapist or a home improvement agency.