Adaptations and improvements

We know that being able to live safely and independently in your home is really important. We can help by making adaptations to your home if you or someone in your household has a disability or mobility need. This section explains what adaptations we can help with, how to request an adaptation, timescales and what to expect as well as how we work with Occupational Therapists and local authorities.

What is a housing adaptation?

A housing adaptation is a change made to your home to help you live more safely and comfortably. Adaptations can be minor or major, depending on the level of work needed.

Reasonable adjustments

If you need a reasonable adjustment when contacting us or using our services, please let us know. Our adaptations process is aligned with our reasonable adjustment approach, helping us better meet your individual needs. You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments here.

Need help or advice?

If you’re not sure whether an adaptation is right for you, or you want to talk through your options, our team is here to help. Click here to find out the best way for the best way to get in touch with the team.

 

Whether you need small changes like grab rails or larger modifications such as ramps or accessible showers, ForHousing can help make your home safer and more comfortable.

You can contact our Adaptations Team if you think you need an adaptation. The quickest and easiest way to do this is by filling in our online adaptations form. Click here to request an adaptation online

You can also request an adaptation by calling 0300 123 5522 or by emailing hello@forhousing.co.uk. 

What happens after you’ve requested a new adaptation?

We will respond to all adaptation enquiries within 5 working days. A member of the Adaptations Team will talk to you about your needs and explain the next steps.

We aim to be clear and open about how long things usually take. Some adaptations are straightforward, while others need specialist reports or materials.

Keeping you informed

We understand that waiting for adaptations can be stressful. We promise to keep you updated if timescales change, explain any delays and why they have happened and let you know who to contact if you have questions

Minor adaptations are smaller changes that we can usually arrange ourselves.

Examples include:

  • Grab rails
  • Handrails
  • Small access changes
  • Minor alterations to bathrooms or doors

Once agreed, most minor adaptations are issued to our contractor within 30 days for completion.

Some adaptations may take longer if:

  • Specialist materials are needed
  • The work is more complex
  • Additional planning is required

If this applies, we will keep you informed.

Major adaptations are more complex and usually require a recommendation from an Occupational Therapist.

Examples include:

  • Level-access showers
  • Stairlifts
  • Significant changes to kitchens or bathrooms

 

Occupational Therapy and working with local authorities

ForHousing works closely with local authorities and Occupational Therapy services to make sure tenants get the right support.

Because arrangements vary by area, the referral process and timescales can be different depending on where you live. We will always explain what applies to you.

  • If you live in Salford, we will request an Occupational Therapy assessment within 5 working days after we receive your application.
  • If you live in Knowsley, you will need to contact the Occupational Therapy service directly. You can find out more about how to do this here.
  • If you live in Oldham, all referrals must be made through your GP service.

Once we receive an Occupational Therapy recommendation, we will make a decision on the adaptation within 10 working days. We will write to you to confirm the outcome and explain what happens next.

What you can expect from our service

We want you to be satisfied with the services you receive from us and to be able to trust us to deliver on what we say we will do. To find out what you can expect when adapting and improving your home, click the button below

Click here to see our service standards
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Improvements

Sometimes, we may identify that your home needs improvement works. We’ll always write to you to discuss what this means. It could be work inside or outside of your home.

We’ll carry out a survey before we begin any work, helping us to determine what improvements may be needed to keep your home as secure, safe and comfortable as possible.

We are passionate about being the best landlord we can be, and hitting the high standards we aim for, always maintaining your home to the Governments Decent Homes Standard.

Your safety is our top priority, and we will always deliver works using approved contractors and trained trades people, ensuring health and safety is paramount when repairing or improving your home.

We’ll make sure to keep disruption to a minimum and we will always undertake any tests necessary to your home after completing work to ensure your safety such as gas or electrical tests and inspections.

When we deliver work on your home, you’ll be provided with a named person to answer any questions or concerns, all our projects have scheme engagement staff, and we’ll ensure the work is checked and delivered to the correct standard.

Often the answer is yes – but we need to chat to your first to make sure they’re safe and will not cause any lasting damage. Contact us and we’ll come up with a plan together.

Please do not carry out work on your home without permission as you could be putting yourself, and your community, at risk.

This could range from works on your bathroom like installing a new bathroom suite with an over-bath shower, laying vinyl flooring, and tiling the walls, to replacing your kitchen to install new kitchen units.

We’ll discuss with you a suitable, safe layout and offer you a choice of colours. Any demolition work, like removing walls, will be completed by us, as will any electrical, plumbing or gas pipework alterations.

We might also want to improve your heating and electrics. This would include projects like installing a new heating system, gas fires, replacing gas warm air systems and electrical heating systems, or installing a new energy efficient boiler.

We may want to make electrical installations safer, replacing old fuse boxes with modern circuit breakers, or replace old electric wiring.

 

This could range from removing and replacing existing timber doors, single glazed or defective windows, roof tiles or slates, gutters and downpipes, or works to improve boundaries to your home.

We’ll also ensure that your roof insulation meets our thermal standards and your home is suitable install cavity wall insulation.

To ensure you’re living in the best home possible, we carry out cyclical maintenance works. This covers jobs like checking and repairing gutters and downspouts, painting exterior woodwork, checking window seals, repointing and cleaning exterior uPvc.

We’re committed to continually improving your home to be environmentally friendly and ‘green’. We will adopt a ‘fabric first’ approach such as improving wall insulation to ensure your home is thermally efficient.

We will evaluate new technologies as they are developed to see if they are suitable for installing in ForHousing homes. Our aim is to ensure ForHousing homes reduce their environmental impacts and make them cost effective for our tenants to live in.

Your neighbourhood environment is important to us too, we may make improvements to your property such as installing new boundaries or create communal improvements to green spaces or to ensure we provide safe adequate parking.

There may be times where we need a helping hand from you to make sure the works are completed as smoothly, and efficiently, as possible.

This may include:

  • Provide access to all rooms in your home, as needed
  • Taking up floor coverings like carpet, and refit them afterwards or, alternatively, lifting laminate flooring.
  • Moving furniture or garden plants away from areas where work is being completed
  • Packing away valuables, ornaments, pictures, mirrors, clocks, and other loose items

Also, there may be times where we need to turn off the water supply, so keep a kettle filled with water for your tea or coffee and pop your microwave into another room so you can keep using it.

You need our written permission to make improvements or alterations to your home.

Otherwise, we may need to ask you to reverse the changes you have made or charge you for any work that needs to be carried out to return your home to its original condition.

Please note:

  • It is important you do not carry out any act that may be a breach of current planning or building regulations governing the use of your home.
  • You also need written permission to build a shed, greenhouse, garage, car port, lean-to, conservatory or anything similar.
  • You need our written permission before installing a satellite television dish or aerial. We ask that you do not install a satellite television dish or aerial if your home is served by a communal aerial system which includes the reception of satellite television.
  • You must not interfere or allow anyone else to interfere with property belonging to a supplier of gas, electricity, water, telephone, cable television, or other services.
  • We ask you not to fit any floor coverings such as laminate flooring or carpet that cannot be easily lifted for maintenance work to be done, unless you agree in writing to take responsibility for taking up and replacing the floor covering when work is carried out.

If you have any questions about improvements, contact us.

If you would like to request for home adaptations and improvements please fill in the form below.

    Your title*
    Your first name
    Your last name
    Your date of birth*
    Phone number
    Your email
    Address Line 1
    Postcode
    Why are you getting in contact with us today?

    Please give a summary of your enquiry below.

    What type of changes are you looking to make to your home?
    Please give a summary of your proposed home improvement and/or adaptation*
    Do you need planning and/or building control permissions for your home improvement and/or adaptation?*

    Have you done the relevant research to make sure you don’t need planning and/or building control permissions for your home improvement and adaptation?*

    Have you contracted a trades person/business to complete this work?*

    If you have selected no, who will be carrying out the home improvement and/or adaptation?*

    Name of business:
    Contact telephone number of business:
    Email address of business:
    Do you have a copy of their insurance details?

    Does your work affect a shared wall between your property and another property?*
    If we need more information about your submission, how would you like to be contacted?*
    When’s best*
    Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your report?*
    Attachment(s) This may include planning permission and building control documentation, detailed sketches of your home adaptation and/or improvement, contractor/trades person insurance documentation and anything else that may support your request.
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