Barriers at Home: Housing crisis for Deaf and Disabled Londoners

Our new report uncovers the reality of inaccessible and unaffordable housing

Blocks of flats behind terraced houses, all coloured pink

Our new report uncovers the grim reality of inaccessible and unaffordable housing in London.

In our research, Deaf and Disabled people told us:

“I don’t think I ever lived in a house that has met my access needs.” 

“I just want to have an accessible home and an accessible environment. You know, my body is wearing out quicker than most people’s. And it’s wearing out even quicker having to interact with environments that don’t suit me.” 

“I can carry it [the wheelchair] down the stairs myself on a good day, but those are hard to come by.” 

“How do you try and work on your health when you can’t even get your housing situation right?” 

The time for change is now.

What are our communities facing?

Inaccessible homes

1 in 4 people we spoke to who have housing access requirements live in completely inaccessible homes.

That means they cannot safely and easily use basic facilities like kitchens, bathrooms and entry ways.

Only 3% of London homes are classed as 'visitable' by those with mobility impairments, compared to 9% across England (reference 1).

1 in 3 people we spoke to who have mobility impairments do not have level access to their home.

Accessibility barriers are not limited to physical layout and level access.

Things like lighting, noise, temperature control, as well as access to facilities and services outside the home, are equally important.

Unaffordable homes

24 out of 33 London boroughs made no plans for affordable accessible homes. This means we are priced out of the few accessible homes we can find.

Nearly 2 in 3 respondents said they had made cutbacks to afford housing.

1 in 3 had cut back on food and/or other essentials and 1 in 3 had cut back on gas and electricity

Although 31% of Disabled Londoners live in social housing, compared to 10% of non-disabled residents, there are over 23,000 Londoners waiting for social housing for medical or welfare reasons.

Social housing is vital for Disabled people, because it is more secure than private housing and rent is regulated. Private renters we spoke to worried about being priced out of their home or being evicted if they asked for adaptations.

Housing planning that isn’t working

London sets higher accessibility standards for new homes compared to other regions in England (reference 2).

But these standards higher are rarely met and compliance has fallen dramatically over the last 7 years. Compared to 2018, twice fewer adaptable and accessible homes are being built.

Local authorities do not know what accessible housing they have.

They also do not have good evidence of existing and future needs for accessible homes.

Only 2 London boroughs were able to provide us with a full breakdown of accessibility in their new builds. 

This report shows them what our experiences are; what the missing data would show.

 

Tower blocks under an orange skyline

Read the Barriers at Home report

Follow the story on social media

We’re posting across X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn with what our report reveals.

Screenshot of Guardian article headline. Housing. Only 3% of new housing approved in London is accessible, study finds. Mayor’s London Plan says 90% of new housing should be accessible and adaptable. Arrow to 9 of 10 houses, highlighted light blue. And the other 10% should be wheelchair accessible. Arrow to the remaining 1 house, highlighted in yellow. Background image is of terraced houses, barely visibleDownload this image file
But in 2023-24, data from the Greater London Authority tells us that only 3% of approved applications were accessible and adaptable, 1% were wheelchair accessible, and 96% were neither. 10 cartoon houses, where 9.5 houses are coloured dark blue to show they are inaccessible. The remaining half a house is mostly light blue, representing 3% accessible, and yellow, representing 1% wheelchair accessible housing. Background image is of a construction siteDownload this image file
Councils aren’t building the accessible homes we need. And this has a massive impact on our lives. Screenshot from Guardian article. Steph, who lives in west London, has multiple chronic health conditions that that she calls “dynamic disability” because they fluctuate regularly. She first applied for accessible social housing when she was 18. After a while, the council offered her temporary accommodation in a supported housing unit designed for neurodivergent young people. She was the only resident with physical disabilities. “They were like, ‘you just do it for two years, after two years you will definitely get moved into permanent, accessible housing’,” she told the Observer. Background image is of a tower blockDownload this image file
Download this image file

Click on each image to find the alt text/image description to use (you may need to use desktop mode on mobile).

Follow the story and join in the conversation by using the hashtag #BarriersAtHome – make sure to capitalise the start of each word to make it more accessible to read!

Watch the report launch

On 5th February there will be an event at City Hall to launch the report. Policy makers will meet with Disabled campaigners and our organisations to talk about the report’s findings and what needs to change.

After the event, we will upload a recording here that anyone will be able to watch. It will include BSL and captions.

References

  1. Fewer homes are ‘visitable’ by people with mobility impairments in London (3%) than in the rest of England (9%).
    1. Greater London Authority, ‘Housing in London 2021’, p91
    2. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, ‘English Housing Survey 2018-19: Accessibility of English Homes’
  2. Accessibility standards for new builds are higher in London (M4(2) and M4(3)) than in the rest of England (M4(1)).
    1. Greater London Authority, London Plan 2021 ‘Policy D7 Accessible Housing’: At least 10% of new dwellings should be wheelchair accessible (M4(3)), all other dwellings should be ‘accessible and adaptable’ (M4(2))
    2. HM Government, The Building Regulations 2010, ‘Access to and use of buildings, Volume 1: Dwellings, p2: New dwellings must be ‘visitable’ (M4(1))

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