Salford Home Improvement Assistance service (HIA) offers a range of support to older and vulnerable people who need help to tackle essential property repairs to their home or need help if their home is no longer suitable.
Help with essential property maintenance and repair work to make your home safe, warm and dry or to remove any risk to the health and safety of the people living in the property. Applicants for a Home Maintenance Grant must also be an owner-occupier, or a tenant with responsibility to carry out repairs as part of their lease or rent agreement with permission from their landlord, in addition to having resided at the property for at least two years. Home Maintenance Grants are secured by a legal charge on the property, which is granted to the council over the property and repayable when the property is sold or changes hands.
Help is provided together with partner agencies energy efficiency schemes, energy company or government funded schemes. Urgent help may also be provided if considered necessary, such as when there is no heating available or when there is no other way to get help.
Assistance will be provided if the safety and security of the house cannot be maintained. The service also supports vulnerable clients at risk because of their living environment, this could be where cleanliness or clutter are a concern and where help has been requested by a Professional, subject to eligibility.
Applicants for a Housing Assistance must also be an owner-occupier, or a tenant with responsibility to carry out repairs as part of their lease or rent agreement with permission from their landlord.
To be ‘eligible’ for this service you must be: a Salford resident and have lived in the property for the last two years as your main home and one of the below must also apply.
A Salford resident or their family/friend can all make a referral by completing an online referral form:
Home maintenance grants will only be considered if the property is owned by the person, or where a tenant has responsibility to carry out repairs as part of their lease or rent agreement with the landlord.
All ‘eligible’ people will be assessed to check if they have a priority and what type of help they need, depending on their personal circumstances. You will then be contacted regarding the outcome of the application.
If you are placed on a waiting list, a letter will be sent informing you of current waiting times.
If needed, you will also be contacted to arrange a visit to the property to carry out an assessment of the inside of the property.
If you are not eligible, other services such as those at the end of the page, may be able to help you.
Health care professionals or other partner agency professionals, who have concerns regarding the health and wellbeing of an elderly or vulnerable client in relation to their property, can make a professional referral to the service and the client’s needs will be assessed.
If you do not qualify, help may be available from other agencies listed below.
FREE assistance is available to vulnerable households living in fuel poverty and are unable to pay their bills. Help can be provided for cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation, loft insulation, heating repairs, draft proofing, and boiler/gas checks.
Information about fuel poverty assistance.
Tenants can seek assistance with repairs and landlord problems where contacting your landlord to report your concerns has not been effective.
Make a complaint about a rented property.
Salford Home Search is an innovative way of letting properties. This scheme gives you more choice when looking for your new home in Salford. It allows you to register, express your interest in properties and make most amendments to your application. Homes are advertised weekly, with new properties being added every Wednesday.
See Salford Home Search for more information.
Support for older and vulnerable people who are seeking to find alternative accommodation can be obtained from Housing Advice, they may be able to assist you if you have a housing need.
See the help for vulnerable or older people section for more information or email housing.advicecentre@salford.gov.uk.
Salford Foundation provide energy efficiency advice, fuel debt, energy tariff switching and pre-payment meter removals in addition to income maximisation assessments.
See Salford Foundation for more information.
Salford Assist may be able to assist with emergency credit for gas and electric meters. They also assist with curtains, carpets and white goods subject to eligibility.
Find out more about Salford Assist.
Salford City Council's Housing Crime Reduction team helps residents to feel secure in their homes. They give advice on crime prevention, provide security packages and carry out neighbourhood security schemes.
The Mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is still available to owner occupiers or those in the private rented sector to help pay for the cost of adapting a home to meet the needs of a person with disabilities, to help you live independently and remain in your own home for as long as possible. For information on disabled adaptations, please contact the Community Occupational Therapy Service.
We work hard with partners to combat rogue traders who often prey on the most vulnerable in their own home. If you, or someone you know has been targeted by a rogue trader please contact us online, alternatively you can obtain advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or use the Citizens Advice online form.
If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.
This page was last updated on 15 July 2024