If there are no other options, we may consider funding supports to help you move to a more accessible home if you choose to do so. These supports would need to be value for money and meet the NDIS funding criteria. We would only fund these supports if your current home can’t be modified, or if the modifications would be very high cost or won’t meet your needs long term.
In this situation, we might fund the costs involved in selling your current house and buying a more accessible one. Or we might fund the costs involved in moving to a more accessible rental property.
The most important thing is you check with us before you move. We need to assess your situation first.
Usually we won’t fund the costs of moving house, unless we decide it’s value for money and it’s the most effective way to meet your disability support needs. This is because everyone has to pay moving costs, whether or not they have a disability.
What if you want to move house and we’ve already funded home modifications?
If you’re going to move house, you should look for other accessible properties. If we’ve already funded complex or extensive modifications, we expect your next home will also suit your needs as much as possible.
We generally don’t fund the removal of modifications when you don’t need them anymore. If you live in a rental property, we need to know if your landlord needs the home modifications removed at the end of your lease. You need to give this to us in writing before we fund the original modifications in your plan, so we can consider the extra removal cost.
You should tell us, and your occupational therapist or home modification assessor, about your situation when you first discuss your home modification needs.
What if you’re buying or building a new home?
If you’re thinking of buying or building a house and you want us to fund disability related home modifications, make sure you talk to us before you finalise your plans.
You should look for homes or designs that suit your needs, or that need minimal or no modifications. You should think about design choices that are suitable and accessible for you and consider getting professional advice. We can’t give you advice on your house designs, but you should look at the Livable Housing Australia Design Guidelines . These guidelines can help you design your home so it meets your needs.
We generally don’t fund modifications you wouldn’t have needed with appropriate site or home selection.
For us to fund modifications to a new home, a home modification assessor needs to assess your disability needs. This is an occupational therapist who is qualified to recommend more detailed home modification supports. They’ll recommend the specific supports that will work for you. We have assessment templates on our website.
For example, you might need:
- large rooms and wide corridors for larger circulation spaces
- accessible benchtops, power outlets and light switches
- a level home entrance or one with minimal steps.
Once you’ve considered all your options and decided on your design, we may be able to fund the modifications we have approved for your new home. They will need to relate to your disability and meet the other NDIS funding criteria. In this situation, we would fund the costs of changing a standard feature to a disability specific feature.