Adaptations, repairs and improvements

Improvements and repairs

We deliver a range of services aimed at improving the condition and state of repair of houses in Peterborough. The services include grants, advice and guidance on maintenance, enforcement and energy advice.

  • Care and Repair provide adaptions to help people stay in their own homes
  • Energy Efficiency advice or contact customer services
  • Home maintenance guidance
  • Guidance for landlords and tenants
  • Rules for electrical safety in the home.

For further information, please call 01733 863895. 

Adaptations

We provide a service for older residents and people with disabilities to help with repairs, improvements and adaptations to enable independent living and improve quality of life. Private tenants can also benefit from the service with the co-operation of their landlords.

Referral and assessment

Find out what actually happens from initial contact to the work being completed and paid for:

  • a referral is sent to Care and Repair from the occupational therapist
  • an initial means test is carried out to indicate whether you are likely to be eligible for grant aid
  • if grant aid is not available, you will be informed and ways forward discussed
  • if the you want Care and Repair to act as your agent, appointments are made for a caseworker and a surveyor to visit
  • the caseworker deals with the funding side of each case, while the surveyor provides detailed schedules of the work required
  • where appropriate the surveyor will provide drawings and obtain any permissions including those from Planning and Building Control
  • quotations for the work are obtained from Care and Repair's pool of reputable building companies
  • where a grant is being applied for, the caseworker will put together the package and submit it to the our officers for approval
  • once the grant has been awarded to the client, a date is set for the work
  • the surveyor will oversee all the works while on site and deal with the builders and any other officers, for example, grants officers or building control officers
  • the caseworker keeps in contact with the client throughout and will help ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible
  • once the agency surveyor is satisfied that the work is completed satisfactorily, the grants officer will visit to check that he is satisfied
  • once the grant officer has agreed that the work has been completed properly, the grant will be paid. This will include the cost of any fees incurred for the work.

Where clients want the Agency to carry out private works they can contact Care and Repair directly and we will discuss their needs and what we can offer. We offer a similar service including design, drawing, obtaining of estimates and overseeing of the works to those clients accessing grants and other funding.

Grant covered adaption works

The grant covers a wide range of work.
  • damp proofing works
  • installation of central heating
  • electrical rewiring
  • roofing works/insulation/guttering
  • replacement windows
  • timber treatment
  • renewal of plumbing installations
  • bathroom/kitchen improvements.

How we select contractors

The building contractors on our supplier list have their work inspected by our surveyors, complete a questionnaire on their company, provide details of their insurance cover, go through an interview process and sign a code of conduct.

This takes place before they are asked to carry out any work by Care and Repair. Many of our builders have been accepted onto our list as a result of recommendations by satisfied customers.

Adaption fees

Fees vary with the grant being awarded, for example 15% on disabled facility grants.

For repair assistance rates will vary with the size of the grant, for example major works would attract a 15% fee, while smaller grants may attract fees of 10-12%.

Adaption grants

If you are not eligible for a grant, there are now a variety of options available. For example, clients may choose to fund the work themselves through either a loan or from personal savings, or in some cases where they are over 60, or disabled, use the loans secured through 'Houseproud'.

In addition Care and Repair will always attempt to find resources from Trusts and Charitable organisations; these generally assist those on low incomes.