Issue details

The Private Sector Housing Assistance Policy has undergone a general refresh to update the format, language and terminology used as well as provide our residents with additional clarity on how home adaptations are delivered including the customer-contractor relationship.

Decision sought to increase the means test contribution value from £5k to £8k. Due to increased construction and labour costs, the original £5k value has decreased in real terms, no longer covering standard adaptations.  The new £8k value feels more appropriate to cover those types of adaptations.

Options considered and rejected:

•         To leave the means test value as £5k. 

This would have meant standard adaptations were being means tested based on an outdated and lower value than the true cost of provision.

•         To increase the means test to a higher value than £8k. 

This would have likely provided additional adaptations (outside of standard adaptations) to households who are more likely to have means of contributing.