Inaccessible Viewings
When I booked viewings recently, I’ve not been able to view the property myself. This is because there was no access to the property with, tight corridors and inaccessible features. However, what I’ve learnt from my second house-hunting update is, home pictures don’t always give you an accurate view of the property.
Today’s post is really to discuss current issues I’ve faced when looking at properties online with a variety of estate agents as well as ways to improve the process online or in person. It isn’t a dig or finger-pointing post because it isn’t always obvious how inaccessible things can be. Anyway, let’s get on with the viewing!
Simply Not Accessible
First and foremost, the accessible properties I’ve booked in my property hunting series haven’t been accessible in the first place. The property had stairs to the property and lacks the basic access required for a powerchair user.
While a ramp can be added later, it can take up drive space to install a ramp. We ideally need new properties to be built that don’t have stepped access into the property at all for things to be truly accessible.
We simply cannot just rely on the judgement of someone else on whether the house is suitable for us or not. At the end of the day, we should have housing available that everyone can access i.e. through inclusive housing design.
Not Enough Information
On the websites of estate agents, there is never information on access or support they could provide. I get that, estate agents are trying to sell the property but disabled people need access to information on the property.
Without it, we can’t make an informed decision on whether or not the property is suitable for us in advance. It can save a lot of time by filtering out the properties that are unsuitable and inaccessible for disabled people if this information was available.
Solutions
While the previous section was quite brief on the issues, these are the biggest reasons finding properties can be frustrating for disabled people. You see, the lack of information is what makes viewings so inaccessible. If we knew more about what the property looked like on the inside or had more detailed information, we would be able to buy the home if suitable.
Unfortunately, we often can’t see the inside of the home due to how inaccessible it is. Disabled people often get their houses adapted after buying the property so knowing as many details could mean a sale for the property.
More Online Viewing Options
Over the year, I’ve seen a few viewing done online. These viewings have enabled me to view the property despite access limitations. When this option is made available, I can view the inside and outside of the property. I can then make a judgement on whether or not the property is suitable for my accessibility needs.
If this was standard across all viewings, it would make them much easier and save lots of time visiting inaccessible properties. It would also ensure people who would otherwise be too busy or unable to attend bookings for some reason be able to.
Offer Options to Help
The solution to the lack of information would be, to include access information on the property and assistance they could provide to view. Does the property have step access? Say that you offer a ramp for the viewing, if applicable. Does the home have small rooms i.e. bathroom? Include the measurements so that potential viewers know what they will be looking at!
This would not only improve the viewing experience but would also save time on wasted visits to an inaccessible property. It doesn’t even have to be several lines, it could be just a few points stating whether or not the home is widely accessible with features.
Although, I understand this can be difficult for estate agents who may have limited information. I would just like to request that if possible this information should be provided on the website. It may even be information that a disabled person looking at the property could request access to.
Symbols
Hotels and resorts do this when booking holidays but include symbols on the viewing. This could be a simple way for disabled people to see if a house is accessible. Through this, disabled people would be able to book viewings that are accessible for them if this feature is the main reason to buy a home. It could be applied to the property via a new filter to ensure search results can be filtered accordingly.
However, this doesn’t mean disabled people can’t still look at non-accessible properties due to the new filters. Hence, it wouldn’t be excluding disabled people from buying a property that can be adapted later. This is why applying a brand new filter for accessible information on the estate agent site would be helpful when house hunting as a disabled person.
Time for Change?
During this post, we’ve discussed how inaccessible the property viewing process can be. However, there has been some success with virtual viewings for some houses, we should look to standardise this approach for all viewings. This will make viewing properties more accessible, but it will ensure that disabled people can see the property they want to buy without having to rely on others to view it for them.
Thanks for reading today’s post! If you would like to get involved with the blog, please drop an email to info@buildmyaccessiblehome.co.uk and I will try to get back to you ASAP.
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