Home modifications can be minor or complex. This depends on their cost and risk level.
If your home modification meets the NDIS funding criteria, we’ll include funding in your Capital – Home Modifications budget. This funding is not flexible – you can only use it for the home modification supports we describe in your plan.
What are minor home modifications?
Minor home modifications are customised changes to your home that generally:
- are straightforward, non-structural changes, including under your bathroom floor, which means they won’t change the supporting structures of your home (whether a change is considered structural or non-structural can depend on which state or territory you live in)
- have a relatively low risk of major problems during or after work is done
- only affect 1 or 2 areas in your home
- cost less than $20,000 in total.
We put minor home modifications into 2 categories:
- Category A minor home modifications cost under $10,000.
- Category B minor home modifications cost between $10,000 and $20,000, or they involve minor modifications to a bathroom floor.
We fund minor home modification supports using a set NDIS budget based on current market costs in MMM1 locations using the Modified Monash Model (MMM). We use building industry data to regularly update these costs.
Learn more about how you can get minor home modifications in your plan.
What are complex home modifications?
Complex home modifications are usually structural, custom-built changes to your home. They are higher risk and/or higher cost than minor home modifications.
Complex home modifications usually need building approvals or permissions, and certification of work such as plumbing and electrical works. They may involve highly complex or technical works, or impact several areas of your home. They often disrupt your ability to live in your home over a number of weeks.
Examples of complex home modifications include:
- permanent ramps that cost over $10,000 and need building permit approval
- structural modifications to a bathroom, including changing the floor to create a stepless shower
- extensive electrical or plumbing works
- removing or changing load-bearing walls
- elevators or lifts that cost over $10,000 and need building permit approval
- any works that need building consultancies such as engineering, architecture, quantity surveying, building surveying or building certification.
We might also consider home modifications to be complex when:
- a large part of your home needs to be modified
- it will take a long time (months) to complete the work, which impacts your ability to live at home
- the modifications are non-structural but are extensive or cost over $20,000 (based on MMM1 location costs in the minor home modifications set NDIS budget).
Whether a change is considered structural or non-structural can depend on which state or territory you live in.
Learn more about how you can get complex home modifications in your plan.
What other home modification supports can we fund?
We may include funding for supports to help plan and implement your home modifications, if the supports meet the NDIS funding criteria.
These supports might include:
- a building construction practitioner to help implement your home modifications, if your occupational therapist tells us this support is needed
- an independent building certifier – we might need to see the certification for the modifications before we can make the final payment
- an occupational therapist or home modification assessor to help you use your new home modifications and to confirm they can deliver the outcomes you need. This is an occupational therapist who is qualified to recommend more detailed home modification supports. We would include this funding in the Capacity Building budget of your plan.