This policy applies to SA Housing Trust customers who are living with disability or other accessibility needs, including:

The SA Housing Trust will make reasonable adjustments to our services to accommodate the needs of people living with disability, including adjustments to our properties and communication methods provided the adjustments do not cause unjustifiable hardship to the SA Housing Trust in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site).

The SA Housing Trust does not provide tenancies suitable for people who have been assessed as requiring Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) or provide co-tenancies or joint-tenancies to accommodate people with shared supports accommodation funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), except in line with the Disability Housing Program or the Specialised Housing Program.

The SA Housing Trust may require verification of a person's disability or other accessibility needs.

Where verification is required, it must:

  • be from a qualified, registered and relevant health or allied professional - for example, a general practitioner, occupational therapist, physiotherapist
  • address the person's current circumstances
  • verify the person's disability or accessibility-related needs
  • verify the way the person's disability or accessibility-related needs affect their housing requirements.

A person may be asked to provide updated verification if their needs change.

Public housing modifications

The SA Housing Trust will fund and install modifications to its properties to meet the needs of people living with disability provided the modifications:

  • are for the tenant, or for another occupant approved by the SA Housing Trust
  • are necessary to allow the person living with disability to access key areas of their home or use Trust supplied fixtures
  • are appropriate to the nature of the property and will not cause unjustifiable hardship to the SA Housing Trust in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

The SA Housing Trust will allow modifications to its properties required by people living with disability for reasons other than access to key areas of the home or use of Trust supplied fixtures, provided they are funded and installed by the tenant or another agency, and they do not cause an unjustifiable hardship to the SA Housing Trust.

The key areas of the home are:

  • a living area
  • at least one bedroom
  • kitchen
  • bathroom
  • laundry
  • front and rear entrances.

The SA Housing Trust will determine whether modifications are appropriate to the nature of the property - for example it's structural suitability, risk factors that may affect residents or neighbours. The SA Housing Trust may refuse a modification where it is not appropriate to the nature of the property or creates an unjustifiable hardship. For example, the SA Housing Trust will not:

  • undertake major modifications to a tenant's property if it would be more cost-effective, time-efficient or sustainable to relocate them to another SA Housing Trust property
  • undertake modifications that aren't required to enable an occupant to access key areas of their home or use SA Housing Trust supplied fixtures
  • undertake or allow modifications that will create a risk to the property's structural integrity
  • undertake modifications that will present a risk to than occupant's health or safety
  • undertake modifications that will affect neighbour's reasonable peace, privacy or comfort
  • undertake modifications where there's insufficient space to safety install and maintain them
  • undertake or allow modifications that will contravene Australian Standard 1428.1:2021 (Design for access and mobility) or the National Construction Code
  • undertake or allow modifications that will trigger a change to the property's classification under the National Construction Code
  • undertake or allow modifications that will make it unfeasible to re-let the property
  • undertake major modifications to properties it doesn't intend to retain in the medium to long term
  • undertake modifications where the tenant is excluded from the property under the terms of an interim intervention order, in line with the Domestic Abuse policy and the Tenant Alterations procedures undertake modifications where the tenancy is subject to a holding lease, in line with the Tenancy succession policy and the Tenant Alterations procedures
  • undertake modifications outside of the SA Housing Trust's responsibilities to provide access to key areas of their home or use of Trust supplied fixtures - for example, the SA Housing Trust will not:
    • undertake modifications related to hardening and securing of a property to assist  in the management of behaviours of concern
    • undertake modifications relating to assistance with daily-living tasks or management of a person's health and/or disability - for example modifications to assist with sensory regulation or themoregulation, including air-conditioning.
  • fund modifications to meet non-occupants' needs - for example fixtures and fittings to meet the workforce health and safety requirements of support workers
  • fund modifications that another agency is responsible for - for example NDIA, Department of Human Services, Lifetime Support Authority, health or aged care services.

Where modifications will cause unjustifiable hardship, the SA Housing Trust will consider either:

  • relocating a tenant to more appropriate public housing, such as Gold standard housing stock
  • allocating a customer to Gold standard housing stock
  • referring the customer to community housing or housing in the private market, where they have Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan
  • referring the customer to community housing or housing in the private market, where they require shared accommodation
  • advising the tenant that modifications not approved due to being outside of the SA Housing Trust's responsibilities to provide access to key areas of their home or use of SA Housing Trust supplied fixtures can be undertaken at their or another party's expense.

Modifications undertaken at the tenant or another party's expense

If the SA Housing Trust declines a modification, it may be undertaken at the expense of the tenant or another party provided the modification:

  • is approved in advance by the SA Housing Trust
  • won't cause unjustifiable hardship to the SA Housing Trust
  • doesn't present a risk to an occupant's heath and safety
  • won't affect neighbours' reasonable peace, privacy or comfort
  • won't affect the property's structural integrity.

The tenant is responsible for:

  • maintaining modifications funded by themselves or another party
  • any safety risks associated with these modifications.

Relocating to more appropriate public housing

The SA Housing Trust may relocate a tenant to another public housing property, including a Gold standard property, where either:

  • it's more cost effective, time efficient or sustainable than modifying their current property
  • an alternative property will require less modification or is more structurally suited to the required modifications
  • the tenant requires major property modifications and their current property isn't scheduled for longer term retention by the SA Housing Trust.

Where relocation is required to address accessibility needs, tenants may be eligible for assistance to meet some relocation costs in line with the SA Housing Trust's Relocations policy - for example, removalist costs.

Gold standard housing stock

If a customer requires specific accessibility features, the SA Housing Trust may allocate them to a property with these features.

The SA Housing Trust constructs a limited number of properties comparable to the Livable Housing Australia (LHA) Gold Standard, which offer enhanced accessibility and adaptability for occupants with disability-related needs. This standard is oriented at people with significant mobility limitations including the use of wheelchairs or other mobility aids. The SA Housing Trust prioritises Gold standard properties for people with a verified need for such a property.

After a person is allocated to an accessible property, the SA Housing Trust may make additional accessibility modifications where needed to meet the person's individual needs.

The SA Housing Trust may relocate a tenant living in a Gold standard property, in line with the Relocation policy, where they or their household no longer need the Gold standard features - for example, where the person who required the features has moved out.

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Private rental assistance

People with accessibility issues may be eligible for assistance in line with the Private Rental Assistance Program policy.

In special circumstances, the SA Housing Trust may assist customers who don't meet the Private Rental Assistance Program policy's basic eligibility criteria. This includes customers with serious health or disability issues that hinder their ability to access  private rental accommodation, for example they need a property with wheelchair modifications.

In these cases, the customer must contact the SA Housing Trust for a housing advice appointment.

Compensation funds

If the person living with a disability  receives a compensation claim with funds specifically for changes to their accommodation, the SA Housing Trust completes the modifications and the party  responsible  for the compensation funds pays the cost of the modifications to the SA Housing Trust - for example, an insurance provider.

Controlling documents

  • Nil

Supporting documents

Related documents and resources

Date this policy applies from

12 November 2025

Version number

1

The online version of the policy is the approved and current version. There’s no guarantee any printed copies are current.