Housing

Current situation

The housing sector is a dangerous mess for Disabled people. Disabled people in the private rented sector experience inaccessible homes, huge rates of disrepair, hazardous homes and poor behaviour from landlords.

In the social housing sector, conditions and costs are unacceptable. Local authorities, housing associations and social and affordable housing providers must do better to provide accessible, affordable, warm housing to Disabled tenants.

The Government has yet to implement Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), as the Grenfell Inquiry recommended, putting the lives of Disabled residents at risk. We urge the government to implement PEEPs as a matter of urgency.

Evidence

Outside London, under a quarter (23%) of new homes due to be built by 2030 are planned to be accessible, negatively impacting the health and independence of older and disabled people.
Just 1% of homes outside London are set to be suitable for wheelchair users despite 1.2 million wheelchair users
23% of homes in the Private Rented Sector PRS do not meet the Decent Home Standard – around 1.1 million homes.
18.8% of Disabled people live in the private rented sector, yet according to the Office for National Statistics, only 6% of Disabled Facilities Grants go to private renters.
98% of those [properties] advertised over a single month [2022] were beyond the means of people in receipt of universal credit or housing benefits.

Key messages

We need to see new regulations that drive higher accessibility standards across all tenures by requiring Landlords to adhere to the Equality Act 2010.
The Government must implement PEEPs, as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended.
The Government must take action on affordability in the short-term, including a rent freeze and eviction ban across all tenures, alongside a longer-term plan of the Renters Reform Bill and cost stabilisation and control measures, or else it will be fuelling an ever-deepening crisis in the housing sector.
We are paying too much to live in dangerous, inaccessible homes, and the government must do more to shift the power imbalance away from landlords and toward Disabled tenants.

Target decision-makers

Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, Department for Work and Pensions, Housing Associations, Developers, Local Councils, Advice Services.

Campaign action

We have collaborated with allies within and outside the sector as partners of the Renter’s Reform Coalition, a member of the Homes for Us Alliance and the Housing Made for Everyone coalition, alongside our independent advocacy work.