Compensation for improvements you have made to a property

You can claim money back for improvements you have made to your council home when you are about to leave the property.

Someone will visit your home to assess the improvements and calculate your payment, taking into account the age, quality and condition of the work.

What you can claim for

You can claim for:

• new central heating systems and extra fires, radiators or thermostatic valves
• up to five new kitchen units or making the kitchen larger
• new bathroom suites, showers or moving a bathroom upstairs
• new windows to replace metal ones or wooden ones put in before 1946, and double glazing
• garages, car ports, hard standings, porches, conservatories and extensions
• loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and extra electrical fittings

What you cannot claim for

You cannot claim for:

• labour costs if you did the work yourself, but we will take a builder’s costs into account
• improvements costing less than £50

Exclusions

You can’t get compensation if you’re buying your home through Right to Buy.

What you need to make a claim

To claim compensation you must show that:

• the Council gave the go-ahead for the work before you started it
• it was you who paid for the work and not a previous tenant
• the work is not something already paid for by a council grant

If you can’t find written confirmation, we might be able to help by checking our records.

How to claim 

You can make a claim when you give notice to leave the property you have improved and for up to two months after you have left.

Complete the form, attaching scans or photos of your receipts so we can pay you easily and quickly. Email your completed form to repairspolicy&improvementsteam@sheffield.gov.uk.