Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996

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Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
Act of Parliament
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (variant 1, 1952-2022).svg
Long title An Act to make provision for grants and other assistance for housing purposes and about action in relation to unfit housing; to amend the law relating to construction contracts and architects; to provide grants and other assistance for regeneration and development and in connection with clearance areas; to amend the provisions relating to home energy efficiency schemes; to make provision in connection with the dissolution of urban development corporations, housing action trusts and the Commission for the New Towns; and for connected purposes.
Citation 1996 c. 53
Dates
Royal assent 24 July 1996
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its long title shows that it is a piece of omnibus legislation:

Contents

An Act to make provision for grants and other assistance for housing purposes and about action in relation to unfit housing; to amend the law relating to construction contracts and architects; to provide grants and other assistance for regeneration and development and in connection with clearance areas; to amend the provisions relating to home energy efficiency schemes; to make provision in connection with the dissolution of urban corporations, housing action trusts and the Commission for New Towns; and for connected purposes.

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)

The act provides legislation for the provision of grant aided adaptations for disabled persons' properties within the UK. This is covered in part 1 Chapter 1. The aim of this part of the Act is to allow for provision of adaptations to disabled persons' homes to reduce both the need for people to relocate to facilities which provide full-time care and to reduce the amount of care needed in people's homes. One way this is provided for is in the provision of stairlifts allowing people to continue use of bathroom facilities in the upstairs of their homes. Local authorities may carry out the work either through provision of money to the applicant or through an agency service. Where an agency service is offered grant applicants are not obliged to take this up in order to receive a grant. In order for adaptations to be provided, an occupational therapist is usually required to carry out an assessment of the needs of the applicant.

A grant can be used for adaptations to give better freedom of movement into and around the home and/or to provide essential facilities within it. Examples of the work which may be covered by this assistance are:

The maximum mandatory values of works is £30,000 in England; however the local authority can use discretionary powers released through a later RRO to increase the value of works.[ citation needed ]

Construction industry

Part 2 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 relates to payments in the construction industry. This part was later amended by Part 8 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (LDEDC Act). [1]

Section 108 provides a right to refer a construction dispute to adjudication.

Under section 109, a construction company with a contract lasting 45 days or more is entitled to interim or stage payments at agreed stages as the work progresses. The frequency of interim payments is to be agreed between the parties and the value of each interim payment will reflect the value of the work completed to date as determined by the project manager or cost consultant and stated in an interim certificate, less an agreed retention percentage. [2] :Section 109

The official summary of the changes made by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 states that:

Architects' registration

Part III of the Act, [7] relating to architects' registration, has been repealed and was re-enacted as the Architects Act 1997, under the Parliamentary rules for consolidating Acts.

Housing action trusts

Section 144 provided for the disposal of the assets of a housing action trust on its dissolution. [2] :Section 144

Notes

  1. A "Tolent" clause in a contract states that the contractual party who issues a dispute notice will bear the adjudication costs of both parties, regardless of the outcome of the adjudication. [3] The reference is to the legal case of Bridgeway Construction v Tolent Construction (2000). [4]

References

  1. Doran, S., Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, published 1 September 2011, accessed 8 January 2021
  2. 1 2 Open Government Licence logo.svg  This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence : UK Legislation, Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 , accessed 4 January 2020
  3. Heneghan, J., Tolent Clauses, Adjudication & Costs: What's New?, William Fry, published on 5 December 2012, accessed on 13 September 2024
  4. Bridgeway Construction Ltd v Tolent Construction Ltd (2000) CILL 1662
  5. Designing Buildings Wiki, Interim certificates in construction contracts, updated 29 October 2011, accessed 4 January 2021
  6. Open Government Licence logo.svg  This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence : UK Legislation, Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009: Explanatory Notes: Part 8: Summary , prepared by the Department for Communities and Local Government, accessed 8 January 2021
  7. Part III E+W+S+N.I. Architects

Further information