Accommodation and Tenancy

NDIS accommodation and tenancy support can help with the disability-related assistance needed to find and maintain a suitable place to live. It is different from paying for the property, covering rent or guaranteeing a rental application will be accepted.

Understanding that difference makes it easier to ask for the right help and prepare a realistic housing plan.

What can tenancy-related support involve?

The NDIA’s capacity building guidance describes improved living arrangements as support to find and keep suitable housing. Examples include assistance with a rental application or preparing for an inspection. Rent and rental bonds remain the participant’s responsibility.

Depending on your needs and agreed support, you might discuss help organising documents, understanding the steps in an application, planning an inspection or establishing routines after a move. The provider should explain which tasks they can assist with and how those tasks fit your plan.

Make a housing priorities list

Before looking at properties, separate essential requirements from preferences. Consider your daily routine rather than relying only on the way a property looks in photographs.

• Access: Can you enter, move around and use the important spaces with your usual equipment?
• Location: How will you reach regular activities, appointments and people you want to see?
• Living arrangements: Do you want to live alone, with family or with housemates?
• Affordability: What can you pay for rent, bills and other ongoing costs?
• Support: Can your required assistance be delivered in the home?

A property can meet one priority and miss another. Keeping a short record after each inspection helps you compare options without having to remember every detail.

Prepare for applications without sharing more than needed

Ask which documents are required and who needs to receive them. Keep a checklist of application deadlines, documents provided and outstanding questions. If a worker helps with an application, agree on which steps you want to complete yourself and which information they may share on your behalf.

Support with organisation does not remove your right to choose. Ask for explanations in a format that works for you, and take time to understand commitments before agreeing to them.

Keep housing expenses separate from funded support

Ordinary housing costs are not the same as disability support. The NDIA’s home and living guide explains that participants are responsible for everyday expenses such as rent, groceries and utilities. A provider helping you plan a move should be able to distinguish assistance from the bills you will pay yourself.

For example, help to organise a rental application is different from paying the rental bond. Help to understand a household routine is different from paying for household appliances. Check a proposed expense before committing to it.

Plan the first week after moving

A move involves more than handing over keys. Prepare a simple first-week plan covering access to essentials, agreed worker visits, how to report a problem and how you will get to regular activities. Check who is responsible for each task and how you will contact them.

Once you have settled in, review whether the arrangements are working. A support schedule that looked suitable before the move may need adjustment when you experience the new routine.

Common questions

Is tenancy support the same as SDA?

No. Specialist Disability Accommodation is a separate housing option for eligible participants with particular support needs. Read our SIL and SDA comparison to understand the distinction between housing and daily support.

Can a provider promise me a rental property?

A support service cannot guarantee a landlord’s decision or the availability of suitable housing. Ask what practical assistance is available and keep expectations clear.

Explore tenancy support with Harissons Disability Care

Read about Harissons Disability Care’ accommodation and tenancy service. Contact the team to discuss your current situation, preferred location and the tasks you need help with. If moving is part of a wider change, our life stage transition guide offers a planning framework.

Information checked 4 September 2026.