An NDIS home modification is a change to your home that makes it safer and easier to live in with your disability. Home modifications are changes to the structure, layout, fixtures or fittings of your home, like a ramp at the front door, grab rails in the bathroom, or a step-free shower. At Serene Disability Support, we’re a registered NDIS provider, and we help NDIS participants through the home modification process, from the first occupational therapist visit to the final fitting.
What are NDIS home modifications?
Home modifications are changes to your home environment that help you do daily tasks, move around safely and live as independently as possible. They’re different from assistive technology, which covers equipment you can move or take with you, like a shower chair or a hoist that isn’t fixed to the building.
Common home modifications include:
- Grab rails near the toilet, shower or bath
- Ramps and step-free entries
- Bathroom modifications, like a level-entry shower, a raised toilet or a lower basin
- Wider doorways and hallways for wheelchair access
- Kitchen changes, like lower benches or easier to reach storage
- Lever taps, handrails and other fittings that make daily tasks easier
Minor vs complex home modifications
The NDIS sorts home modifications into minor and complex, based on how big the job is and whether it involves structural changes.
Minor home modifications
Minor home modifications are smaller changes that don’t touch the structure of the home much. Think grab rails, lever taps, a handheld shower or a small ramp. These are usually quicker to assess and approve, and a qualified tradesperson can often do the work.
Complex home modifications
Complex home modifications involve structural changes, like rebuilding a bathroom, widening doorways or adding a ramp that needs engineering. Complex modifications usually need a detailed assessment by a qualified occupational therapist or home modification assessor, quotes from a licensed builder, and a building works project manager or building construction practitioner to oversee the job.
How to get home modifications through the NDIS
Getting home modifications through the NDIS usually follows these steps:
- Talk about your goals. Raise it with your support coordinator, planner or provider. Your NDIS plan may already include some capacity building funding for an assessment.
- Get an OT assessment. A qualified occupational therapist visits your home, looks at how you use each space, and recommends the changes that suit your disability support needs.
- Get quotes. For anything beyond minor work, the builder prepares a scope of works and a quote. Complex jobs usually need more than one.
- Apply for funding. The OT report and quotes go to the NDIA, which decides whether the work is reasonable and necessary.
- Approval and building. Once the NDIA gives approval, the builder can start. Your OT may check the finished work to make sure it does what it’s meant to.
It can feel like a lot of moving parts. That’s where we come in.
What the NDIS will and won’t fund
The NDIS considers whether a home modification:
- Relates to your disability
- Helps you live more safely and independently, and take part in social and work life
- Is effective and beneficial for you
- Is good value for money compared to other options
- Is legal and safe, and meets building standards
- Shouldn’t be funded or provided by another service
The NDIS generally won’t fund general repairs and maintenance, changes that aren’t related to your disability, or standard features that any home would be expected to have. It also usually won’t fund the work if another option, like moving to a more suitable home, would better meet your needs.
How Serene helps with home modifications
We support you through the process so it’s less work for you and your family. We can:
- Help you understand whether minor or complex home modifications fit your needs
- Help you organise and prepare for the occupational therapist assessment
- Keep track of quotes, reports and paperwork, and follow up with the NDIA
- Keep you updated on where things are up to, in your preferred language, with an interpreter if you need one
- Line up the rest of your support around the work, like personal care or household tasks while your home is being changed
Because we’re nurse-led, we think about the clinical side too. If you’re coming home from hospital or managing a health condition, our registered nurse can help make sure your home and your community nursing care work together.
Getting started with home modifications
If your home isn’t working for you anymore, give us a call. We’ll talk about what’s hard at home, what’s in your NDIS plan, and the next steps to get the right changes made. We’ll get back to you within one business day. You can also see all of our registered NDIS services.