Written evidence submitted by Hannah Langford [DPH 046]

As a powered wheelchair user in my early thirties, I have been extremely frustrated and disheartened by my forays into the housing market.  When I previously worked in Manchester as a solicitor, I was in a position to get on the housing ladder, but despite devoting many hours over several years to finding a suitable property that could be fully adapted, I was eventually forced to give up.

I had an article published online by Metro Opinion, which details some of the challenges I faced in finding a suitable property and the impact this had on me.  Please follow this link to access the article:

Giving-up-avocado-on-toast-won't-help-wheelchair-users-buy-a-home (metro.co.uk)

I urge the Government to make tackling the deep-rooted problems surrounding accessible housing a genuine priority.  I have set out below some of the main issues that need to be addressed.

Firstly, there is a lack of appropriate social housing. One in five disabled people in social housing live in unsuitable accommodation.  Increasing the accessible social housing stock is imperative to address the rising inequalities faced by disabled people.  Those with inaccessible homes are, for example, four times more likely to be unemployed or not seeking work.

Secondly, there are insufficient accessible homes being built.  Few local authorities across the UK set targets for accessible housing and many reported to the Equality and Human Rights Commission that developers are reluctant to build accessible houses as, in their view, they are less profitable.

Even where there are targets for accessible housing imposed on new developments, they are often watered down or waived entirely by the local authority following pressure from developers.  In addition, 68% of local authorities report that developers don’t always comply with access requirements, but only 3% had taken action against a developer on the grounds of accessibility.  This lack of enforcement action must be a short-term priority for both the Government and local authorities.

There are also large regional variations, with the availability of new accessible housing being a postcode lottery.  Despite this, there is strong evidence that suitable housing will result in health and social care cost savings in the future.

Thirdly, with a lack of social housing and new accessible homes being built, disabled people are often forced to wait for years on council house waiting lists.  This problem is fuelled by a lack of information allowing individuals to determine if available council houses are suitable for their needs.

Fourthly, disabled people face a steep hurdle when entering the private rental market.  One in three disabled people in private rented properties live in unsuitable accommodation.  93% of 8.5 million rental properties in the UK have been found to be inaccessible.  Most rental properties therefore need adaptations to allow a disabled person to live in them, yet, landlords routinely refuse to allow such adaptations to be made.

A key part of this issue could be resolved if the Government brought into force the remaining parts of section 36 of the Equality Act 2010.  These provisions impose a duty to make reasonable adjustments to the common parts of leasehold premises.  Currently, a landlord has no requirement to allow fundamental adaptations such as an automatic entry door or a ramp in common parts.  A landlord can require a tenant to pay for the adaptations (who can often access funding for this), but the essential permission is often denied.  The House of Lords Liaison Committee’s 2021 report concluded that it is “objectionable” that this is still not in force and that this should be rectified within 6 months.

This should be one of the Government’s short-term priorities to support disabled people before the next general election.

Whilst the Government’s 2021 National Disability Strategy did refer to housing, in response Alan Jones (the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects) said “it is disappointing that the consultation failed to work with disabled people to design a strategy that will stand the test of time and is built upon concrete funding commitments”.

Government ministers in the past have routinely clung to claims of increased spending on Disabled Facilities Grants, allowing people to improve their houses and make them more suitable for their needs.  Even if the significant problems with the Disabled Facilities Grant system are resolved, however, it is still necessary for new accessible homes to be provided, due in large part to the UK’s ageing population.  Adapting a typical home can cost up to five times more than making one adaptable at the design stage.  Indeed, a YouGov poll suggests that most people think that all new homes should be built to suit every age and ability.

Disabled people were left out in the cold during the pandemic, with many areas of their lives being negatively affected in extreme and far-reaching ways.  Adequate housing is a fundamental right for all human beings, yet, Habinteg has estimated that 400,000 wheelchair users are living in homes which are neither adapted nor accessible.

Various commentators have suggested that solving the housing crisis would, in turn, solve many other societal issues.  In no group is this more apparent than disabled millennials.  I implore you to recommend that the Government acts now to tackle these issues, making accessible housing a genuine priority.

I look forward to hearing the outcome of the Committee’s inquiry into disabled people in the housing sector.

March 2024