Should You Modify Your Home or Move?
Modify your home or move? A calm NDIS decision guide weighing when home modifications make sense versus moving to a more accessible or specialist home.
Sometimes the changes a home needs are so extensive that it's worth asking a bigger question: is it better to modify where you live, or to move somewhere more accessible? There's no single right answer — it depends on your home, your needs, your budget and your life. This guide helps you weigh it up calmly, and points to where the NDIS can and can't help.
A big decision, taken calmly
When modifying makes sense
When moving might make more sense
What the NDIS does and doesn't fund
Questions to work through
Frequently asked questions
Will the NDIS pay for me to buy or rent a house?
No, not generally. Housing costs are usually met the way they are for everyone else. The NDIS can fund reasonable and necessary home modifications to your home, and, for eligible people, Specialist Disability Accommodation is a separate pathway.
What is Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)?
SDA is a separate part of the NDIS for people with very high or specialist housing needs. It has its own eligibility and assessment, and not everyone qualifies. Ask your planner or LAC if you think it might apply to you.
How do I know if my home can be modified enough?
An occupational therapist's assessment, together with a builder or building practitioner for structural work, will tell you whether the changes you need can be done safely in your home. See How home modification assessments work.
Is modifying always cheaper than moving?
Not necessarily. Extensive structural work can be costly and disruptive, while a home that's already accessible may save years of adaptation. Weigh money alongside community, routine and wellbeing, not money alone.
Can I get help making this decision?
Yes. Your OT, planner, LAC and support coordinator can all help you think it through against your plan and needs. This is a personal decision, and there's no single right answer.
If I move, can I still modify the new home?
Potentially, if further reasonable and necessary changes are needed. Choosing a home that's already more accessible can reduce how much modification is required. Your OT can assess the new home.