Local Government and Housing Act 1989

Introductory

101 Grants for improvements and repairs

(1) In accordance with this Part, grants are payable by local housing authorities towards the cost of works required—

(a) for the improvement or repair of dwellings, houses in multiple occupation or the common parts of buildings containing one or more flats; and

(b) for the provision of dwellings or houses in multiple occupation by the conversion of a house or other building; and

(c) for the provision of facilities for disabled persons in dwellings and in the common parts of buildings containing one or more flats.

(2) In this Part—

(a) a grant relating to the improvement or repair of a dwelling or to the provision of dwellings by the conversion of a house or other building is referred to as a “renovation grant”; and

(b) a grant relating to the improvement or repair of the common parts of a building is referred to as a “common parts grant”; and

(c) a grant for the provision of facilities for a disabled person in a dwelling or in the common parts of a building containing one or more flats is referred to as a “disabled facilities grant”; and

(d) a grant for the improvement or repair of a house in multiple occupation or for the provision of a house in multiple occupation by the conversion of a house or other building is referred to as an “HMO grant”;

and in the following provisions of this Part the expression “grant”, without more, means any of these types of grant.

(3) No grant is payable under this Part if the person who would otherwise qualify as the applicant for the grant is—

(a) a local authority;

(b) a new town corporation;

(c) an urban development corporation;

(d) a housing action trust;

(e) the Development Board for Rural Wales;

(f) a joint authority established by Part IV of the [1985 c. 51.] Local Government Act 1985;

(g) a residuary body established by Part VII of that Act; or

(h) an authority established under section 10(1) of that Act (waste disposal).

(4) Expressions used in paragraphs (a) to (d) of subsection (3) above have the meanings assigned by section 4 of the [1985 c. 68.] Housing Act 1985.

(5) The provisions of this Part have effect in place of the provisions of Part XV of the Housing Act 1985 (grants for works of improvement, repair and conversion), other than section 523 thereof (assistance for provision of separate service pipe for water supply), and, without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3) of section 195 below,—

(a) any application made under section 461 of that Act which has not been approved by the local housing authority before the day appointed under section 195 below for the coming into force of this section shall be of no effect on and after that day; and

(b) any application under section 521 of that Act (schemes for grants for thermal insulation) in respect of which the applicant has not been notified before the day so appointed that he may proceed to execute works in accordance with a scheme under that section shall be of no effect on and after that day.

102 Applications for grants

(1) No grant shall be paid unless an application for it is made to the local housing authority concerned in accordance with the provisions of this Part and is approved by them.

(2) An application for a grant shall be in writing and shall specify the premises to which it relates and contain—

(a) particulars of the works in respect of which the grant is sought (in this Part referred to as “the relevant works”);

(b) unless the local housing authority otherwise direct in any particular case, at least two estimates from different contractors of the cost of carrying out the relevant works;

(c) particulars of any preliminary or ancillary services and charges in respect of the cost of which the grant is also sought; and

(d) such other particulars as may be prescribed.

(3) In this Part “preliminary or ancillary services and charges”, in relation to an application for a grant, means services and charges which—

(a) relate to the application and the preparation for and the carrying out of works; and

(b) are specified for the purposes of this subsection by the Secretary of State.

(4) The Secretary of State may by regulations prescribe a form of application for a grant and an application for a grant to which any such regulations apply shall not be validly made unless it is in the prescribed form.