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> Home > Housing Help > Grants > Types of grants available > Replacement grant

Replacement grant

A replacement grant is only available to those whose home is located in a rural area, is unfit to live in and repair is not an option. 

The property must be your main or only home. 

We only award replacement grants in the exceptional circumstances listed below: 

  • the replacement grant is necessary to complete a disabled facilities grant
  • the property has 'imminent and significant' health and safety risks for the occupant(s)
  • the property's structural stability puts the occupant(s) at serious risk

Please note that this grant-aid is subject to funding.

You can also read more about:

To qualify you must be

  • 18 years or over, and
  • Own your own home, or
  • in selected areas, you must be a registered private landlord

Read more from NI Direct about being a:

You may qualify if your property is 10 years or more and is:

  • occupied by the owner, or their family, for a least 12 months, or
  • vacant with the applicant in urgent need of housing*.

*We assess ‘need’ under Housing Selection Scheme criteria. You must also have strong social or economic ties to the area.

You can read more about this in our section on:

Additionally:

  • the property must be in a ‘state of disrepair’
  • the property must not be suitable for renovation
  • it must not be cost effective to renovate the property

No, replacement grants are only available for the property you live in, or intend to live in, as your only or main residence.

Yes.  But, there may be cases when we decide relocation to a nearby location is the best option. 

You must arrange to demolish the original property before the final payment of the grant. 

But we may make an exception where the local council planning service recommends it.

The maximum grant aid per application is £31,500. This is for a dwelling up to 80sq meters.

The amount of grant we award will depend on the cost of the work and your financial circumstances.  You will have to make a contribution toward the cost of the work.

We base the calculation on:

  • your household’s total income (i.e. your resources)
  • what the Government says will meet your ‘basic’ needs

Your income includes:

  • all earnings from employment (including self-employment)
  • certain benefits
  • pensions
  • savings
  • any other source(s)

For more information contact your local grants office.

Yes, if you want to carry out extra work then you must arrange to pay for this yourself. It will not be grant aided.

Your may choose to include:

  • a higher standard finish
  • a dwelling bigger than 80sq meters
  • a garage
  • extra landscaping

We will not grant aid these works.

We administer the grant aid on behalf of the Department for Communities. We do not arrange for work to be completed, or carry out work.

It is your responsibility to:

  • appoint an architect to develop drawings (a principal designer)
  • appoint a builder or contractor, if needed, to carry out the work (a principal contractor)
  • arrange planning permission and/or building regulations approval where necessary

You can read more information about contractors in our section on:

You can also read advice from NI Direct about:

If you have any questions please contact your local Grants Office on:

T: 03448 920 900 (Textphone 18001 03448 920 900)

Members of our team will be happy to help you at any point of the process.

If you need extra support during the grant application process then you can contact:
 

  • Radius Housing | T: 033 0123 0888 (Staying Put Team)
  • Gable | T: 028 7188 2147 | E: gable@shelterni.org (operates in Limavady, Derry~Londonderry, Magherafelt, Strabane)

Each case is unique. But some factors will affect the length of time:

  • the demand for grant aid
  • the money / budget available
  • receiving information from your occupational therapist, if a disabled facilities grant is also recommended and
  • receiving information from you including
    • income / benefit details, architect drawings, builder information, building control certificates

When you apply for the grant you must:

  • occupy the house as your only or main home for 5 years, or
  • if you are a landlord, make the house available for rent for 5 years after finishing the work

The five years starts from the date which the work is signed-off by a technical officer.

If you break this agreement you may have to repay some, or all, of the grant-aid paid to you. 

We will place a statutory charge on the property.

The grant awarded will only be paid when

  • your builder finishes the work
  • building control has approved the work
  • our staff confirm the grant-aided work has been carried out; and
  • you have sent us all required accounts, receipts and certificates
    • this includes the insurance backed bond which guarantees the work

We may consider making a part / interim payment(s) while work is being carried out.

You should speak to your technical officer about this.

You must not start any work until you have received an ‘approval of application’ in writing from the Housing Executive.

This approval confirms:

  • how much grant aid you will get
  • that you can start work
  • the date by which you must finish the work

You must provide all the documentation and statutory approvals before we issue this.

It can take up to six months for us to provide an ‘approval of application’.