Getting household items

Councils usually have grant schemes to help you buy essential items for the home. These are known as:

• household support funds 
• local welfare assistance

You usually need to receive a means-tested benefit to be eligible. Check with your local council.

Find your local council

The charity End Furniture Poverty has a postcode search tool to find the relevant pages on your local council website. 

Local welfare assistance finder (End Furniture Poverty)

In Wales, there is the Discretionary Assistance Fund. This comes from the Welsh government.

Discretionary Assistance Fund (GOV.WALES)

There are charities and organisations that give grants for furniture and white goods.

You may also be able to get a grant for carpets. Tell the charity if you have a condition that gets worse in the cold, as this might help your application. 

For some grants, a support worker might need to refer you. This could be a social worker or a health visitor.

If you do not have a support worker, your local Citizens Advice can give you information on your options. 

Find your nearest Citizens Advice

There can be different rules depending on the items you need. If you need several items, you may need to apply to several grant providers.

Disability grants

Turn2us grants search

Before you apply for an advance or loan, find out if you are eligible for a grant from:

• your local council
• a charity

This is because you do not need to pay grants back.

If you need items more quickly, you may be eligible for an advance or loan from the DWP. You usually receive it within 3 working days. There is no interest to pay but you pay the money back by getting lower benefits payments in the future.

Universal Credit budgeting advance

If you receive Universal Credit, you could buy household items with a budgeting advance. This is a loan.

You need to have claimed Universal Credit for 6 months or more. When you apply, you need to say what you want the loan for.

You may be repaying a previous budgeting advance already. If so, wait until you have paid it back before you apply for another.

Getting a Universal Credit budgeting advance (Citizens Advice)

Universal Credit: what else you are entitled to

Budgeting loan

If you do not receive Universal Credit, you could be eligible for a budgeting loan. You can apply for a budgeting loan to cover several items.

Check if you are eligible for a budgeting loan (GOV.UK)

Budgeting advances and budgeting loans (Shelter)

You usually cannot get a standard bed or mattress through the NHS or social care.

But you may be eligible for an adjustable bed or mattress. It depends on your condition. 

Ask for an occupational therapist (OT) assessment if:

• you are finding it hard to get in and out of bed because of your condition 
• your bed or mattress is making your condition worse
• you are at risk of pressure sores because you cannot turn in bed

Getting an OT assessment

You can ask for this assessment through your:

• hospital medical team
• GP
• local council adult social care team

Find your local council

You may also be able to find a grant from a charity for a new bed or mattress.

Grants from charities

Care and support you can get for free (NHS)

Paying for disability equipment and assistive technology

In Wales, try the Disability Advice Project.

Disability Advice Project (DAP)

If you are renting a home, your landlord must provide:

• smoke alarms and heat detectors
• carbon monoxide alarms
• light fittings
• secure doors
• flooring

Council and housing association landlords must provide flooring only in kitchens and bathrooms.

By law, landlords do not have to provide white goods like a cooker or fridge. 

If you are renting a furnished property, there will usually be more items like a:

• bed
• table and chairs
• sofa

But there is no legal obligation for your landlord to provide them.

If you are viewing a home to move into, check what household items there are.

Before you move in, you can ask for:

• new or replacement items
• an inventory that records the condition of the items provided

How to check and agree an inventory (Shelter)

Tips for viewing a home to rent (Shelter)

There are websites that list second-hand items.

People give away items for free on:

• Freegle
• Freecycle
• FreelyWheely

The Reuse Network has centres around the country where you can find cheap second-hand items.

Reuse Network postcode search tool

To buy second-hand items, you could try using websites like:

• eBay
• Facebook Marketplace
• Gumtree
• Vinted