It's the little things that make a big difference!

To live independently in your home, you may need to adapt it to make things easier.

Professional adaptations can be carried out to enable you to enjoy a quality of life in your home.

You can apply for an adaptation by contacting your local authority direct.

If you require assistance, please contact MSV on 0161 226 4211 or by e mailing enquiry@msvhousing.co.uk to discuss your needs.

Adaptations are classed as either Minor or Major.

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Major adaptations

These works generally cost over £1,000 and are carried out by your area's local authority with match funding provided by MSV and consist of items such as:

Over bath showers

Wet rooms

Ramps

Stairlifts

Internal through-the-floor lifts

External step lifts

Wash and dry toilets.

Specialist baths

Door entry systems

Your Local Authority will arrange for an occupational therapist will visit you and assess what living aids and or adaptations are required to meet your needs within your home and will make a referral to your local authority. Once the local authority has received a referral the proposed works will be assessed and approved, and major adaptations will usually be funded through a Disabled Facilities Grant, dependent on whether you meet the eligibility criteria. Your local authority will write to you to confirm that your disabled facilities grant has been awarded.

Timescales

The major adaptation process can take time due to the need for the Local Authority to process the Disabled Facilities Grant, some are quicker than others. Unfortunately, we are unable to influence how long the process takes but it can be from six to 12 months in some cases.

You can also call the Local Authority directly or call us on 0161 226 4211 and ask to speak to a member of the adaptations team for an update.

Further information on the major adaptations process:

After your Occupational Therapists’ (O.T) visit. The O.T. will submit a referral to your nearest local authority.

The local authority then contacts MSV for the landlords’ consent to survey, we then log this on our system and arrange an asbestos survey (if the property was built pre 2000) for the property.

During the survey, the authority will look at the property and assess if the adaptations recommended by the occupational therapist are feasible and possible to be installed on the property.

Sometimes, it might be better for our resident and their needs if we ask them to think about moving to another property. For example:

• Where it would be more cost-effective if another property has already been adapted to suit their needs,or an empty home is available and can be adapted within a reasonable period?
• Where the property is overcrowded? 
• Where, perhaps a resident will need to, or wish to, move to other accommodation in the future to meet their longer-term housing needs? 
• Where the property is under occupied, and it might be needed for a larger family?

If the adaptations are deemed feasible and do not have the above complications the provider will contact approved builders to price the works and ensure that value for money is achieved.

The authority will then submit their findings with drawings, a schedule of works and the cheapest quote received for the cost of the works to MSV for us to provide formal consent for the works to be arranged and carried out by your local authority on behalf of MSV as part of an adaptation grant. All permissions will be checked by our asset management team before formal consent for the works to start is given. You will receive a copy of the proposed works from the provider.

*Please note - applications for major adaptations will not be processed while a resident holds a starter tenancy, although discretion can be applied in emergency situations. There may also be refusals of consent on occasions such as overcrowding etc..

If the above complications do not apply and the works are feasible formal consent is given your local provider will then let the contractor know that they are to contact you directly to arrange a start date, the work will then be overseen from start to finish by the provider. Upon completion, the provider will visit your home to assess the workmanship and highlight and snagging issues if needed.

Warranties and maintenance

The completed adaptation and warranty documentation are then stored on file at MSV Housing and maintained by the contractor until the end of the agreed warranty. After the warranty expires it is then maintained via MSV Housing Association.

 

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Minor adaptations

These are works that cost less than £1000 and are carried out by MSV, some typical items may include:

Grab rails/handrails

 Floor-fixed toilet frames

 WC plinths

 Lever taps

 Adjustments to door handles/window latches/light switches

 Raised doorsteps

 Flashing doorbells

Vibrating smoke alarms

Key safes

Timescales

With minor adaptations, the enquiry team will keep you updated via letter and phone with regard to each stage of the process. We aim to acknowledge a minor adaptation within 10 working days and complete minor adaptations within 21 working days of the minor adaptation referral being received. More complex work may take a little longer.

Customer feedback

Your feedback as a customer is vital to us as an organisation.

The local authority will do an official handover and satisfaction survey with you for any major adaptations to obtain feedback to improve our services. These surveys are optional.

What we cannot do:

There are certain things that we are unable to do as follows:

• Remove existing adaptations unless recommended by an Occupational Therapist
• Remove stair lifts to install carpets, furniture, etc.
• Pay for medical evidence.
• Flag patios or gardens.
• Provide mobile scooter storage facilities to individual properties.
• Install central heating as an adaptation.

Sometimes it is not practical for us to carry out adaptations to your home, because of its size, construction, location or the number of adaptations required or if you are living in an overcrowded property. In these situations, we may encourage you to move to a property more suited to your needs, or one that is more easily adapted.

Living aids

We are unable to provide bathing aids, commodes, toilet frames, and chair raisers however they can be provided by social services. We will let you know if it is the case and will be able to direct you to your local authority or health authority who may be able to assist.