Home adaptation · 10 September 2026 · updated 21 October 2026
The private OT route: how to skip the HSE queue for the Housing Adaptation Grant
Quick answer
Every stairlift or home lift application, and many bigger bathroom jobs, need an Occupational Therapist report. The free HSE route takes 2 to 6 months depending on where you live. A private CORU-registered OT visits within days, costs €250 to €450, and reports within two weeks. If the grant is paid it refunds up to €300 of that fee, inside the grant limit. For most families it is the difference between a stairlift in November and a stairlift in March.
Why the OT report holds everything up
For a stairlift, a through-floor lift, a fixed track hoist, an extension or a big change to how a room is used, the council needs an Occupational Therapist to visit the house, assess the person, and put in writing what is needed and why. If you do not send a report, the council can arrange an assessment after your form arrives, but that means waiting for one.
The HSE provides OTs free through its community teams. They are excellent and they are swamped. For a non-urgent home adaptation referral, the wait by area is roughly as below. These are our own estimates, not HSE figures.
- Dublin: 3 to 6 months
- Galway, Mayo, Roscommon: 4 to 6 months
- Limerick, Clare, North Tipperary: 3 to 5 months
- Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan: 3 to 4 months
- Cork and Kerry: 2 to 4 months
- Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow: 2 to 4 months
- Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath: 2 to 3 months
- Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim: 2 to 3 months
Hospital discharge cases jump the queue. If your mother in Galway is coming home from hospital with new mobility needs, say so on the referral and ask the discharge coordinator to flag it.
The private route, step by step
- Find a CORU-registered OT. Citizens Information points to the online directory of the Association of Occupational Therapists Ireland, at aoti.ie. You can check any OT on the CORU register at coru.ie, which shows the county they practise in. Your GP may know one too.
- Check they do home visits. The OT needs to see the stairs and the bathroom, and a report from a home visit is the safest kind to send.
- Tell them it is for a Housing Adaptation Grant application and which council. They will know the format.
- Book the visit. Usually within one to two weeks. Have the person's PPS number and any hospital letters ready.
- Get the report, typically 7 to 14 days after the visit. Check it has the CORU number, the date of the home visit, and a specific recommendation.
- Submit it with the council application.
What it costs, and what comes back
- Private OT home assessment and report: €250 to €450.
- Grant refund if the grant is paid: up to €300, paid as part of the grant on completion. It comes out of the grant maximum, not on top of it.
So a €350 report costs the family €50 net. A €280 report costs nothing. The refund is only paid if the grant is approved, so the risk is the fee if the application fails. For a clear-cut case that is a small risk.
What a good report says
Councils scale back vague reports. "Consider a stairlift" gets a stairlift questioned. "Stairlift on the internal staircase with grab rails at the top landing, patient unable to descend stairs without two-handed support" gets approved.
Before the visit, tell the OT what you are applying for and why. They write the clinical case. You make sure they have the facts. The full list of what the report must contain is in our guide.
When to stay with the HSE
Be fair to the free route. If the case is not urgent and the county wait is 2 to 3 months, the HSE is fine. Get on the list now and the timing often works. If the person has just had a fall, is coming out of hospital, or the wait in your area is four months plus, go private. The maths is not close.
You can also do both. Refer to the HSE today, book a private OT next week, and cancel the HSE referral if the private report does the job.
After the report
The OT report is the hard part. From there it is a quote if your council wants one, the form, the income proof, and the council queue for your county. The county by county times are here. Most families that go private on the OT have the stairlift in before the HSE would have made the first visit.
Sources, checked 21 October 2026: Housing Adaptation Grant guidelines, December 2024; Mobility Aids Grant guidelines, December 2024; the national application form; Citizens Information, Housing Adaptation Grant; Citizens Information, Mobility Aids Grant; CORU, the public register.
Common questions
Can I use a private OT for the Housing Adaptation Grant?
Yes. The national guidelines let you hire a private Occupational Therapist, and if the grant is paid it includes up to €300 towards the fee. Use an OT registered with CORU, and make sure the report is based on a home visit.
How much does a private OT assessment cost in Ireland?
Typically €250 to €450 for a home visit and written report, delivered within 7 to 14 days. The Housing Adaptation Grant and the Mobility Aids Grant refund up to €300 of that if the grant is paid.
How long is the HSE OT waiting list?
Our own rough estimate, not an HSE figure: for non-urgent home adaptation referrals, 2 to 3 months in the North West and Midlands, 2 to 4 in Cork, Kerry and the South East, 3 to 5 in the Mid West and North East, and 3 to 6 months in Dublin, Galway and Mayo. Hospital discharge cases are prioritised.
Does the council pay the OT directly?
No. The family pays the OT. The refund of up to €300 is paid as part of the grant when the works are complete and approved.
Would you rather we did the paperwork?
The free tools give you everything to apply yourself. If you would rather hand it over, we prepare your whole application pack for €29.99.
See the help options →