Housing adaptation grants — up to €40,000 to make a home liveable

If someone in your home is older or disabled and the house no longer works for them — stairs they can't climb, a bathroom they can't use — your local authority can pay for the changes: up to €40,000 under the Housing Adaptation Grant, or a faster €8,000 for mobility aids like stairlifts, ramps and grab rails. These grants are chronically under-claimed.

Which grant do I need?

Big structural changes = Housing Adaptation Grant (up to €40,000). Stairlift, ramps, rails = the simpler Mobility Aids Grant (up to €8,000).

The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability covers extensions, downstairs bathrooms, wheelchair access and major works. The Mobility Aids Grant is the quick route for smaller equipment-style jobs. There's also a Housing Aid for Older People grant for essential repairs to an older person's home — ask your council which fits.

What are the income limits?

Household income up to €37,500 can get up to 100% of the cost; support tapers off up to €75,000.

Crucially, the means test has generous disregards, and it's the household of the person the works are for. Even if you think you're over the limit, the taper means partial grants run well up the income scale — at €62,501-€75,000 you can still get 30%.

How do I apply?

Through your local authority's housing grants section — with an occupational therapist's report and three quotes for the works.

The council can arrange an OT assessment if you don't have one. Over €10,000 needs tax clearance. The council inspects, approves an amount, and pays when works complete — so don't start the work before approval. HSE public OT waiting lists can be long; a private OT report is accepted and often faster.

What else stacks with it?

SEAI energy grants, the Fuel Allowance route to free upgrades, and the €8,000 mobility grant can all combine around the same home.

An adapted home is often also an old, cold home — check SEAI grants and the Warmer Homes Scheme. If the person is on Attendance Allowance (NI/UK) or Disability Allowance, more supports usually attach.

General information, not financial or legal advice. Rules and amounts change — confirm the current details on the official source (Gov.ie, SEAI.ie, HSE.ie or Citizens Information) before you claim.