Building Standards
Housing Grants
Improvement Grants
The amount of grant aid offered will be subject to a test of financial resources
and can be up to 100%.
Grant aid may be available for the following improvement work:
- Provision of Standard Amenities and works to meet the Tolerable Standard.
- Statutory work including improving means of fire escape in Houses in Multiple Occupation
- Serious dampness
- Structural stabilisation
- Improving private water supplies
It may also be possible to offer grant for repairs and other works to improve energy efficiency
or safety in conjunction with the improvement work.
Grant aid may also be available for the following work:
- Provision of adequate insulation - cavity wall insulation, floor and roof insulation,
tank jackets, pipe insulation.
- Provision of adequate heating systems.
- Installing mains-powered smoke alarms.
- Installation of door entry system to common entrances
- Installation of fire doors in common stairs
- Overcladding of external walls
When the proposed works:
- Involve South Ayrshire Care and Repair
- Form part of a Council modernisation programme
- Will make the building safe as part of the Public Safety Survey of Town Centres
(Ayr, Troon, Prestwick, Maybole and Girvan)
- Involve an empty property identified by the Council and operated by a landlord participating
in the Council's Voluntary Accreditation Scheme
Note: The South Ayrshire Care and Repair Scheme is designed to assist with the improvement
of privately owned housing for occupants/residents over 60 or disabled.
Further information can be obtained from:
South Ayrshire Care and Repair
Unit 2 Beresford Court
6 Beresford Lane
Ayr KA7 2DW
Tel: 01292 281813
Depending on the nature of the work to be done, Building Warrant and/or Planning
Permission may have to be obtained from South Ayrshire Council. Further advice is
available from:
The Building Standards Service, 2nd Floor, Burns House, Burns Statue Square, Ayr
(Tel. No.: North Team - 01292 616176 and South Team - 01292 616264)
The Planning Development Service, 2nd Floor, Burns House, Burns Statue Square, Ayr (Tel. No.: 01292 616107)
An application for a Improvement Grant must be accompanied by two detailed estimates
and specifications of the proposed works.
A copy of Title Deeds/Land Certificate must be submitted before registration of
the application can be made.
Any grant aided works must be carried out to the satisfaction of the Council. Inspection
by Officials of the Council will be necessary.
If your application is not approved or if the amount of grant is less than that
which may be fixed under the relevant legislation, you will be given reasons in
writing.
Grant is not available:
- for houses built or provided by conversion within the last 10 years
- where the grant is calculated at less than £100.00
- for works of routine maintenance
- to carry out woodworm eradication
The applicant must be the owner of the house or the lessee. If the applicant is
not the occupier of the house the occupier's consent to the proposed improvements
should be obtained before making the application (in general a landlord may not
carry out improvements without the consent of the tenant).
If the house is security for a loan, eg. a mortgage, the Building Society or other
lender should be notified of the application for grant. A copy of any necessary
letter of consent should be attached to the application. If you are not the owner
of the house, the owner (and all joint owners) must agree to the application being
made.
If grant is given, the following conditions apply to the house for 5 years after
the work is completed.
- the house must be used as a private dwelling-house (although part may be used for
business purposes);
- if the owner or a member of their family occupy the house, it must be their main
home; and
- the house must be kept in good repair, as far as possible.
The conditions will be registered on the Title Deeds/Land Certificate of the house.
If the conditions are breached, the local authority may require the grant to be
repaid, with interest. If there are any loans secured on the house the lender should
be informed of this application. These conditions do not apply to business premises
and further information should be sought from Building Standards.
Section 242(5) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (as amended) provides that, where
grant or assistance has been given in respect of a house under:
Part 13 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (ie. an Improvement or Repairs Grant)
and as described in subsections (5A) and (5B) of section 242(5)
Section 42(2) of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993
then any such grant paid will be deducted from the maximum approved expense of this
application.
If after the application is approved, the Council are satisfied that owing to circumstances
beyond the control of the applicant the expense of the works will exceed the estimate
contained in the application, they may on production of a further estimate substitute
a higher amount as the amount of the approved expense.
Some questions on this application may require information available to the owner
who, where he is not the applicant, should be asked to complete and sign the declaration.
The amount of grant that may be offered usually depends on the income of the applicant
and their partner over the past year. ('Partner' means someone you are married to,
or someone who normally lives with you as if you are married).
If you are a joint owner, joint tenant or joint liferenter, the income of all the
joint owners, joint tenants and joint liferenters, and of their partners, is also
taken into account. You will need to collect information from all these people to
fill in part D of this form, and ask them to sign to confirm that the information
about them is correct.
You must tell them what the information is for, and which local authority you are
sending this application to.
If the application relates to a house which is not your main home or the main home
of a member of your family, or if the applicant is a company or organisation, the
amount of grant depends on the cost of works compared to the increase in value of
the house due to those works, and certain other criteria.
South Ayrshire Council's Building Standards Service can provide you with information
leaflets on the following types of Grant to tell you more about the grants system
and how the amount of grant is calculated:
Please contact
us if you require further details.