The aim of Care and Repair is to give help and support to home owners and private
tenants to adapt, maintain, repair or improve their homes.
Who is eligible?
This service is available to home owners and tenants of private landlords in the
Falkirk Council area, who are of any age and who have a disability or are aged 60
or over.
How can Care and Repair help you?
We offer a free advice service to:
- help you decide what repairs and improvements are needed in your home and/or assist you in the process of adapting your home. This may involve an assessment from the Community Care Team
- give you an idea of the cost and how to raise the money
- help you to contact suitable people to provide plans
- help you get quotations (prices) from reliable contractors
- help you appoint a suitable contractor to do the work
- help you fill in forms and apply for grants/funding
- put you in touch with other agencies that may be able to help
- help you cope while work is being done
Please note: The Care and Repair Service cannot recommend contractors or consultants but if asked, will direct you to Buy With Confidence, a website run by Trading Standards.
What about the cost?
The Care and Repair service is free.
Grants are available from us to help with the cost of certain works including major adaptations (work) for disabled people. Sometimes extra help may also be available from benefits agencies or charitable organisations.
Quotations and job completion timescales
Please be aware you may experience delays in respect of quotes/waiting times for jobs to be completed. This is outwith our control and are a result of private contractors facing a number of issues nationally. We are unable to influence contractors in any way regarding this part of the process.
New Fire Safety Standard
The Fire safety standard in Scotland has changed. Every home in Scotland must now meet the "Tolerable Standard", by having interlinked smoke and heat detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors will also be required if you have carbon-fuelled appliances in the property.
Information on the new standard is detailed in the Scottish Government Fire and smoke alarms: changes to the law factsheet. Please see the Scottish Government Fire Alarms Standards Stakeholder Page for materials available in audio, BSL, Large Print and Easy read formats.
All homeowners are responsible for ensuring that their property meets this requirement.
We have prepared links to sites that can help you find a contractor to supply and install the alarms required to meet the standard:
If you do not have access to the internet, please contact us on 01324 590797 and we will access and share this information with you.
Falkirk Council has now launched a scheme to help qualifying homeowners meet this Fire Safety Standard. The Scheme will be in line with the Scottish Government qualifying criteria:
- Council tax band A-C, AND
- be of state pension age and in receipt of guaranteed Pension Credit, or
- have a disability and be in a support group for Employment and Support Allowance
If you have not installed heat and smoke detection to meet this standard, you meet the above criteria and would like to be considered for assistance (resources permitting), please email us at: Smoke.HeatDetection@falkirk.gov.uk or call us on 01324 590797 (option 2) and leave your details.
Falkirk Council does not intend on taking action against households who do not meet the criteria at present. Our aim is to work towards compliance by the end of the financial year 2022/23.