Scheme: Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), mandatory under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 as applied to Wales.
Maximum grant in Wales: £36,000 (the Welsh DFG ceiling has been higher than England’s since 2019). Councils can top up further through local housing renewal policies.
Who runs it: your local council (unitary authority). There are 22 in Wales.
Means-tested? Yes for adults. No for works benefitting a disabled child under 19.
Typical timeline: 4 to 10 months from first enquiry to fitted stairlift. Urban councils tend to be faster than rural ones.
Is a DFG the right route for a stairlift?
For a stairlift in Wales, the DFG is the main public-funding route if you own your home or rent privately. A straight stairlift rarely costs more than £4,000 installed and a curved one rarely over £10,000, so you are normally well inside the £36,000 ceiling. The practical questions are whether you pass the means test and how long your council takes.
Council and housing-association tenants in Wales do not apply for a DFG. Ask your landlord to carry out the adaptation. The duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 applies in Wales in the same way as the rest of the UK. Tenant guide.
Who qualifies
The three gates are:
- The person needs the adaptation. An occupational therapist assesses whether a stairlift is “necessary and appropriate” for the disabled person. The OT assessment is usually free and usually arranged through the council’s social services team.
- The works are “reasonable and practicable”. A council officer or a Care and Repair caseworker checks whether the stairlift can be fitted given the staircase and the property.
- The household passes the means test (adults only). The test looks at income, savings and certain outgoings of the disabled person and their partner, not the rest of the household.
Automatic pass on the means test
You skip the means test if the disabled person or their partner receives any of:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Guarantee Pension Credit
- Universal Credit (where the award includes no earned income above the relevant threshold)
Children under 19 are not means-tested. If the works are for a disabled child, the household finances are not considered.
Savings and the capital rules
Capital (savings, investments, second properties) above £6,000 counts against you. Every £250 over £6,000 adds £1 per week of tariff income to the calculation. Capital over £16,000 usually means you will not receive a grant at all, unless you are on one of the auto-pass benefits.
How to apply, step by step
- Contact your council’s adaptations or social services team and ask for an occupational therapy assessment. Some Welsh councils ask you to call the main switchboard, others have a direct adaptations line.
- Have the OT assessment. The OT visits, looks at the staircase and the disabled person, and decides what adaptation is needed.
- Your case is passed to the council’s DFG team or to Care and Repair. In Wales, Care and Repair agencies often handle the DFG paperwork on behalf of the council. This generally speeds things up.
- Complete the means test. Payslips, pension statements, benefit letters, savings statements. Help is free from Care and Repair Cymru, Age Cymru or Citizens Advice.
- Get quotes from approved installers. Most councils have a framework list. Using a non-listed installer is usually allowed but takes longer.
- Sign the grant approval. Do not pay for any work before this letter is signed.
- Installation and sign-off. The installer fits the stairlift, the council inspects, the council pays the installer directly.
Care and Repair Cymru
Care and Repair Cymru is the Welsh network of home improvement agencies. It gives free, impartial help to older and disabled homeowners and private tenants. For a DFG it often:
- Carries out a home visit and a technical feasibility check.
- Completes the DFG paperwork and the means test form with you.
- Gets quotes from approved installers.
- Supervises the installation and sign-off on behalf of the council.
It costs you nothing. Care and Repair Cymru has a find-your-agency page covering all of Wales.
If the DFG does not cover the cost or takes too long
- Council top-ups. Many Welsh councils publish a local housing renewal policy that tops up the £36,000, relaxes the means test, or offers a small non-means-tested adaptations grant that covers most straight stairlifts.
- Charities and benevolent funds. The Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Turn2us and many trade benevolent funds all fund stairlifts for people who fit their criteria. Charity funding guide.
- Reconditioned straight stairlifts. Often under £2,000. Reconditioned guide.
- Rental. Useful for short-term needs or while you wait for a DFG. Stairlift rental.
Rough check: could you qualify?
The indicator below runs in your browser and collects no personal data. It is a guide, not a grant decision.
Stairlift grant indicator
A quick private check. Nothing leaves your browser. Your council or NIHE, not this site, makes the real decision.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don’t assume the English £30,000 figure applies in Wales. Wales has a higher ceiling.
- Don’t pay for the stairlift before the grant approval is signed. Retrospective reimbursement is very rare.
- Don’t skip Care and Repair. Even if your council handles DFGs directly, the free casework help is usually worth having.
- Don’t assume a curved stairlift is out of scope. Curved rails come in around £4,000 to £8,000 and are well inside the DFG ceiling.
Where to go for free help
- Your local council’s adaptations or social services team.
- Care and Repair Cymru – free, impartial help with the DFG process.
- Age Cymru – free benefits checks and advice.
- Citizens Advice Cymru – free help with means-test paperwork.
Sources
- GOV.WALES: Disabled Facilities Grant – canonical Welsh Government guidance.
- Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 – the primary legislation.
- Care and Repair Cymru – network of Welsh home improvement agencies.