Housing Act 1974

64 Amount of improvement grant

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the amount of an improvement grant shall be such as may be fixed by the local authority when they approve the application for the grant but shall not exceed the appropriate percentage of the eligible expense.

(2) Together with the notification under section 63(1) above, the local authority shall send to the applicant a notification of the amount of the grant.

(3) Except in a case or description of case in respect of which the Secretary of State approves a higher eligible expense, the eligible expense for the purposes of an improvement grant shall be so much of the estimated expense as does not exceed the relevant limit; and, subject to subsections (4) and (7) below, " the relevant limit", in relation to an improvement grant, is the amount for the dwelling, or if the application for the grant relates to more than one dwelling the total of the amounts for each of the dwellings, applicable under the following paragraphs, that is to say—

(a) for a dwelling which is improved by the relevant works or is provided by them otherwise than as mentioned in paragraph (b) below, £2,000, or such other amount as the Secretary of State may by order specify; and

(b) for a dwelling which is provided by the conversion of a house or other building consisting of three or more storeys, £2,400, or such other amount as the Secretary of State may by order specify.

(4) A statutory instrument containing an order under subsection (3) above shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the Commons House of Parliament.

(5) If the local authority are satisfied in a particular case that there are good reasons for increasing the amount which, apart from this subsection, would constitute the relevant limit, they may substitute for that amount such higher amount as the Secretary of State may approve; and the approval of the Secretary of State may be given either with respect to a particular case or with respect to any description of case.

(6) In any case where, after the amount of an improvement grant has been fixed under subsection (1) above, the local authority, in exercise of their powers under section 63(3) above, substitute a higher amount as the amount of the estimated expense, the eligible expense shall be re-calculated under subsection (3) above and if, on that re-calculation, the amount of the eligible expense is greater than it was at the time when the application was approved,—

(a) the amount of the improvement grant shall be increased accordingly; and

(b) the local authority shall notify the applicant of the increased amount of the grant.

(7) In any case where—

(a) an intermediate grant, a repairs grant or a standard grant (within the meaning of Part I of the [1969 c. 33.] Housing Act 1969) has been made in respect of a dwelling, and

(b) within the period of 10 years beginning on the date on which that grant was paid or, if it was paid by instalments, the date on which the last instalment was paid, an improvement grant is made in respect of that dwelling,

the amount which, by virtue of subsection (3) above, would otherwise be the relevant limit in relation to the improvement grant shall be reduced by the amount which was the eligible expense for the purposes of the grant referred to in paragraph (a) above or, where that grant was a standard grant (within the meaning of Part I of the Housing Act 1969) by an amount determined by reference to the amount of that grant and the rate at which it was made, namely, twice the amount of the grant where that rate was one-half and one and one-third times the amount of the grant where (by virtue of the [1971 c. 76.] Housing Act 1971) that rate was 75 per cent.

(8) For the purposes of this section, where an improvement grant is to be paid towards the cost of works required for the provision of a dwelling all or part of which is in the basement of a building, the basement shall count as a storey.