Home Modifications (Disability) Fact Sheet

Home Modifications for your medical or disability needs

Living safely and independently in your home is important and at Homes NSW we understand that sometimes you need your home modified to accommodate the specific medical or disability needs that you, or an authorised member of your household may have. Homes NSW can assist approved housing applicants, tenants, and authorised household members with home modifications that support safe and independent living.

Can all public housing properties be modified?

Not all properties can be modified. There are different reasons why home modifications may not occur. This could be due to the age of the property, differences in building standards, or the geography of the block of land, among other factors. We encourage our clients to request a home modification when it is in the best interest of the medical or disability need/s of yourself or your household.

What if my property cannot be modified?

If your property can’t be modified in a way to meet your medical or disability needs, Homes NSW will notify you in writing of the decision and the reasons why, and Homes NSW staff will discuss available options with you. There may be other options we can look at to meet your needs, such as relocating you to a more suitable property. Staff of Homes NSW will discuss these options with you, and your health professional or support workers, including your occupational therapist. In cases where your property can’t be modified to your required needs we’ll also consider any interim changes that can be made to assist you.

What types of homes modifications are available?

Homes NSW provides two types of home modifications – Standard and Major.

Standard Modifications such as repositioning towel rails or power points, installing lever style taps, handheld shower, or strobe light smoke alarms for people with hearing impairment. Standard modifications can usually be installed within 5 working days, dependent on your availability and providing access to the property, and after any documentation (if required) has been received.

Major Modifications such as widening doorways, installing access ramps or modifying kitchens, bathrooms or laundries often require extensive or structural work to the property that can take longer to assess and install.

What information is needed to support my modification request?

Most Standard Modifications can be requested without providing any supporting information. Some Standard Modifications may need a letter of support from a suitably qualified health professional such as your General Practitioner (GP or Doctor), or Occupational Therapist (OT), to confirm the need for the modification and how it should be installed. See the Table of Standard Modifications for more information.

Major Modifications require an application for Home Modifications (Disability), a detailed occupational therapist report specifying the modifications required, and an Occupational Therapist Summary Report to complete the assessment and reach a decision on an application for Major Modifications. The Occupational Therapist Summary Report DCJ3040 is available as a stand-alone document and is also included in the Application for Home Modifications (Disability) DCJ2059.

Providing Consent

You might have another person help you with your application or lodge a Major Modification request on your behalf.

Because applications for Major Modifications require a detailed OT report, we ask you to provide your consent to allow Homes NSW to talk about your modifications with the OT, and/or to allow Homes NSW to discuss your modifications with a support person that you nominate.

There are two types of consent forms:

• Consent to Exchange Information and/or Authority to Act form (DCJ4001); and
• General consent to exchange information between support workers/service providers (DH0145)

How do I arrange an occupational therapist housing needs assessment, summary report, and detailed report?

Your doctor or other health professional can refer you to an OT who will send the detailed and summary reports directly to Homes NSW Housing Services staff. In some cases, they may give the summary report and detailed report to you to send to Homes NSW. Alternatively, if you are part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) your advocate or support worker will be able to arrange this for you.

Homes NSW Housing Services staff may also be able to assist you with arranging contact with an Occupational Therapist. For more information, please contact your nearest Homes NSW Housing Services office.

How do I request a home modification?

All requests for Standard Modifications are made through the Maintenance Hub by telephone on 1800 422 322.

To apply for Major Modifications, complete the Application for Home Modifications (Disability) DCJ2059 form and either email, or hand it in to your local Homes NSW Housing Services office (contact your local Housing Services office for the right email address).

What happens next?

For Major Home Modifications (Disability), Homes NSW Housing Services will receive your application and will contact you in 3 working days confirming receipt. We’ll also contact you if any further information is required.

After we have received all the necessary information and documents from you, Homes NSW Housing Portfolio staff will review and assess your application for Major Modifications.

Homes NSW will let you know whether the modifications have been approved and if so, the time frames it may take to complete the approved work. You and/or your nominated and authorised support person will be kept up to date along the way.

If a request for Major Modifications is declined, we will explain the reason why in writing and discuss other options with you.

Many decisions made by Homes NSW can be reviewed and appealed. A review is a formal process that checks whether the right decision has been made on a matter. If you think the wrong decision has been made you should first talk to the person who made the decision or another Homes NSW staff member. If you are still not satisfied, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. A review is a formal process that checks whether the right decision has been made on a matter. For more information, visit the Appeals and reviewing decisions page and the Appeals policy on the FACS website.

What happens when the work is completed?

Following the completion of Major Modifications, we will inspect the finished work. If an occupational therapist report was used, we will confirm with the occupational therapist that the modifications meet the agreed modifications needed to meet your medical or disability needs.

More information

Home Modifications (Disability) policy

Table of Standard Modifications

Questions?

To get more information or if you have questions about the process, contact a Homes NSW Housing Services office.