The Accessible Housing Shortage
Like many of us, we all want to buy and own a home. We spend countless hours saving and working hard to save up for a deposit to purchase our first time. For many disabled people, finding the perfect accessible home can be extremely difficult to find. To add to the frustration, many homes deemed as accessible often have tight corridors, lack of space and lack of level access into the property.
As of January of this year, a study suggested that only 9% of UK housing is appropriately accessible, meaning that millions of disabled people, such as myself struggle to find a property that is suitable for their individual needs. My aim for today’s post is to discuss some of the issues I’ve faced when looking for housing and discuss how we might back able to tackle these issues.
Why Build New Accessible Housing?
Below I’ve broken down the reasons why new accessible housing is required on the market. The points I mention are based on my own experiences when looking for an accessible home and the considerations I’ve had to make when viewing properties.
As this is based on my own experiences, it may not reflect the views of everyone else. If you feel the points below don’t quite match up with your own opinions or experiences, please feel free to comment below as it would be great to see some of your views and experiences.
Not Enough Accessible Homes
Over the past year, I’ve seen many houses being built locally to me but out of those built, I haven’t seen a house built that was designed for disabled people. The houses had tight doorways, a lack of a wetroom/accessible bathroom and little to no turning space inside of the house.
While these can be changed and adapted later, this is a waste of resources and time for many disabled people, especially as building new bungalows is an opportunity to include these accessibility features.
Building new housing means that disabled people can easily move into new housing, without it having to cost an arm and a leg just for it to be liveable. Sometimes you just want to move into your forever home straight away. Any normal person would be able to move straight into most properties so why should disabled people have to be left out as an afterthought?
Not Accessible by Design
The first issue comes down to cost. Older houses like bungalows often need completely renovating due to being extremely outdated and lacking any accessible features. This can become extremely expensive for a disabled buyer who may need to fund adoptions and renovations themselves for the house to be remotely accessible. When considering that a lot of accessible equipment can be costly itself, you can imagine how quickly the cost can add up.
We do have disability facilities grants but there are still some limitations on what can be done and it doesn’t always guarantee that everything will be adapted correctly. It is also reliant on the person being eligible for the fund, which may mean the person applying may not even get the grant.
I do agree, that some progress has been made, specifically with some newer houses having easily adaptable rooms. But even then you’re losing out on the rooms situated upstairs so unless you’re living with others, this can feel like wasted value. Of course, some lifts can be installed in houses but that creates a reliance that the lift won’t break down when you need it the most.
More Choice
The more accessible homes that are built, the more choices people will have. So far, I’ve come across no accessible or suitable homes for me due to the size and lack of accessible features built into the home. As these come as rare finds, building more will only help people find the perfect home for them. We should build accessible homes of all types, including from affordable to more expensive price points. That way, we address the first-time buyer who wants to live independently, those who may need to move into an accessible home, etc.
How Can We Solve The Accessible Housing Shortage?
In this section, I will be covering some potential solutions to the problem. These suggestions aim to cover some easy ways we can get more accessible housing. Some of these points are quite standard but it’s important to understand that we already have a housing shortage in the UK, hence accessible homes may not always be a top priority. If you have some better suggestions on addressing the accessible housing issue, please post the ideas in the comments below!
Build More Housing
Simply put, we need to build more housing. We need to reach out to developers and make them aware of our needs. If there are plans for bungalows to be built, get in there early as you may be able to incorporate your needs into the house build.
Although, do be prepared to offer some sort of evidence that you have a deposit or an agreement in principle to show you can afford the house. The only reason I say this is because it makes requesting accessible features a little bit easier.
Contact Your Council and Local MP
In addition, as I’ve mentioned in one of my previous posts, talk to your council or local MP to see what options are available. If there aren’t any options available, raise it as an issue as there is always a slim chance they could do something about it. It may also be useful to request any housing project information in your area to get in contact with potential developers.
Once you have the developer’s information, send them an email to ask about current projects. If they don’t respond, don’t take it personally and keep asking/searching around for potential properties on the market. The most important thing here is not to give up just because you didn’t get the response you wanted. Make sure to get yourself back up and go again!
Raise Your Voice on Social Media
Another point would be to let others know about your issues on social media. Why are you struggling to find an accessible home? What were your good/bad housing experiences as a disabled person?
Let’s Build More Accessible Housing!
I hope you found today’s post useful in terms of understanding why accessible housing is so important. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to reach out to me through info@buildmyaccessiblehome.co.uk.
Please also consider donating to the blog via the BuyMeACoffee button at the bottom of this post. Donations, no matter how big or small highly appreciated and help me continue writing on this blog, plus go towards purchasing an accessible property!
