Habinteg finds that adding essential adaptations to older homes could cost households thousands
Cost comparisons by Habinteg Housing Association of grab rail, stairlift and wet room home adaptations show that people living in an M4 visitable dwelling who need to carry out such adaptations could be almost £27,000 worse off compared to those living in an accessible and adaptable M4 home.
Its research found that families and individuals could be forced to spend savings on privately fund essential adaptations whilst local authorities would be picking up the bill for those who do not have savings through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
With the UK Government allocating £625 million to Local Authorities’ DFG funds in 2024/25 (185 per cent more than 10 years ago), unless homes are designed to be more adaptable from the outset, councils are set to face increasing pressure on home adaptation grants as the population ages and disability rates rise.
Habinteg is urging the Government to make the M4 accessible and adaptable standard the baseline for all new homes in England, and to immediately hold the one short consultation with industry stakeholders on the implementation details to make it happen.
If it does not, its pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes this parliamentary term could see the country’s housing crisis worsen for future households that include disabled and older people.
According to Habinteg, currently 1.8 million people in the UK need an accessible home and only 91 per cent of homes currently provide the four main features for the lowest level of accessibility.
Since the plan to amend building regulations was announced in July 2022 approximately 75 per cent of homes that have received planning permission will be built to the current baseline, the visitable standard, missing an opportunity to future-proof them through the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard.
Habinteg’s price comparison illustrates that the cost of adapting an older or M4 home, for a person who may need one or all three of the most common adaptations, could cost almost £27,0002.
In a typical scenario, a bathroom grab rail can cost over £270 to install in an older home. As the property’s wall may be too weak to mount a grab rail, the work would include wall strengthening.
For an M4 property – which already has walls capable of supporting a grab rail – a builder could install the grab rail at a more affordable cost of around £125.
If someone needs a stairlift, it can cost between £9,000 – £10,000 to install one in an M4 home, depending on the design of the stairs. An M4 property is likely to have steeper and narrower or curved staircase.
Whereas the cost of fitting a stairlift in an accessible and adaptable home would average between £2500-£4000.
In some older homes stair lifts are not possible to fit, due to the narrowness of the stairs or other prohibitive design issues, in which case a through-floor lift is needed which can cost between £18,000 and £20,000.
Meanwhile, converting an entry level WC to a wet room – completing all the structural and plumbing work needed – would typically cost at least £6500 in an M4 home.
In contrast, adapting the same room in an accessible and adaptable home (using the pre-existing drainage) could be close to £1,800 cheaper, with less work required, making it 37 per cent cheaper to adapt than an M4 home.
Christina McGill, Habinteg’s Director of Social Impact & External Affairs, said: “Almost 80 per cent of disabled people acquire their impairment after the age of 16, so the accessibility and adaptability of new homes is critical if they are to be fit for purpose for the whole population. Our simple cost comparisons show it’s much cheaper to adapt an M4 accessible and adaptable home, making this standard fantastic value for money.
“We should also remember that M4 homes are not specialist, they are designed to be inclusive, welcoming and easy to live in for everyone, whether it be a young person starting out, a family with young children or older people in retirement.
“So, as the Labour Government embarks on its ambitious house-building program, we urge them to prioritise accessibility and adaptability in all new homes.
“Bringing in the accessible and adaptable standard, now, for all new homes built in England will ensure that our housing stock is fit for the future and will send a strong message that the health and wellbeing of all citizens is being prioritised.”
