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Charities and free advice

Free, independent help with adaptations, grants and finding equipment — from national charities, home improvement agencies and advice services across the UK.

Facts checked: 3 October 2026 18 sources listed Topic: Help with costs

In short

  • Age UK, Age Cymru, Age Scotland, Age NI and Independent Age run free advice lines for older people.
  • Turn2us has a free online search for charity grants.
  • Home improvement agencies and Care & Repair services can help you plan adaptations and apply for grants.
  • Living Made Easy gives independent information about equipment, including the free AskSARA self-help guide.
  • Scope and Carers UK run helplines for disabled people and carers.

Phone numbers and opening hours are as shown on each organisation's own website when we checked. They can change, so check the website if a number does not work.

Advice lines for older people

OrganisationWherePhoneOpening hours (as shown)
Age UK Advice Line (opens another website)England0800 678 16028am to 7pm, every day of the year
Age Cymru Advice (opens another website)Wales0300 303 44 989am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
Age Scotland helpline (opens another website)Scotland0800 12 44 222See website
Age NI Advice (opens another website)Northern Ireland0808 808 75759am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Independent Age helpline (opens another website)UK0800 319 67898:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday

Independent Age also has a plain-English guide to home adaptations (opens another website).

Finding grants from charities

Turn2us (opens another website) is a national charity. Its free Grants Search "connects you to over 1,700 UK organisations that offer grants". You answer some questions and it shows grants you may be able to apply for.

Help planning adaptations and applying for grants

England: home improvement agencies

Home improvement agencies (HIAs) are local services. The NHS says a home improvement agency can help you find schemes to help with the cost of adaptations. GOV.UK says the government funds an organisation called Foundations that can help you apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant. Foundations runs Find My HIA (opens another website), a directory where you can search for your local home improvement agency by postcode.

Wales: Care & Repair Cymru

Care & Repair Cymru (opens another website) says it is "a Welsh charity helping older people to live independently through repairs, adaptations and home maintenance". You contact your local Care & Repair agency.

Scotland: Care and Repair Scotland

Care and Repair Scotland (opens another website) offers "independent advice and assistance to help elderly and disabled homeowners repair, improve or adapt their homes". It says services are available in 28 council areas.

Finding the right equipment

Living Made Easy (opens another website) (formerly the Disabled Living Foundation) gives independent information about equipment and home adaptations. It says it holds details of products from many manufacturers and suppliers, but does not sell anything itself. It is now run by Trusted Assessing and Care Training (TACT), an occupational therapy practice.

Its free AskSARA (opens another website) tool asks you questions about what you find hard and gives you a personal advice report.

Help for disabled people and carers

Problems with a trader

Citizens Advice (opens another website) gives free, confidential advice, including on problems with builders and installers. See your rights when you buy at home.

Sources we checked

  1. Age UK Advice Line (opens another website)
  2. Age Cymru (opens another website)
  3. Age Scotland (opens another website)
  4. Age NI (opens another website)
  5. Independent Age (opens another website)
  6. Independent Age: Home adaptations (opens another website)
  7. Turn2us: Grants Search (opens another website)
  8. Find My HIA (home improvement agency directory, England) (opens another website)
  9. NHS: Home adaptations (opens another website)
  10. GOV.UK: Disabled Facilities Grants – how to apply (opens another website)
  11. Care & Repair Cymru (opens another website)
  12. Care and Repair Scotland (opens another website)
  13. Living Made Easy (opens another website)
  14. Living Made Easy: about us (opens another website)
  15. AskSARA (Living Made Easy) (opens another website)
  16. Scope (opens another website)
  17. Carers UK: Helpline and other support (opens another website)
  18. Citizens Advice (opens another website)

We last checked these sources on 3 October 2026. Rules and amounts can change, so please check with the organisation before you rely on them.

Get an assessment first

An occupational therapist (OT) can visit you at home and recommend what is safe and suitable for you. Ask your council’s adult social care team — in Northern Ireland, your Health and Social Care Trust.

How to get an occupational therapy assessment

This guide is general information, not medical, financial or legal advice. Everyone’s needs are different. Speak to an occupational therapist, your GP or the organisations we link to before making decisions.

  • Disabled Facilities Grants explained

    A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) can pay for changes such as a level-access shower. How much you can get, who can apply and how it works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • Free equipment and small adaptations

    In England, the council must provide aids and minor adaptations costing £1,000 or less free of charge if your assessment shows you need them. How to ask, and what happens in the rest of the UK.

    Photo: Ashashyou, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Help with adaptation costs in Scotland

    Scotland does not have Disabled Facilities Grants. Instead, councils give grants for essential adaptations under a "scheme of assistance". How it works and how to start.

  • VAT relief on bathroom adaptations

    Disabled people can have a bathroom adapted for their needs without paying VAT. People aged 60 or over pay 5% VAT on some items, such as grab rails, bath lifts and walk-in baths. The rules, and the forms you need.

  • What do bathroom adaptations cost?

    We only publish cost figures from named, dated sources. Here is what official figures show — and why you should always get several written quotes for your own home.