As we assess the ease of use of a variety of environments from shops and offices to factories and football grounds the point is certainly not lost on us that accessibility begins at home.
It’s generally where people start and end their day, and unfortunately it’s where some people are likely to spend the vast majority of their time if the nearby amenities are not as accessible as they should be.
So although most of our work involves assessing commercial premises and services we were delighted to be invited to work with the UK’s number one property portal to raise awareness of what people need to know if they are looking for accessible rental property.
We joined other accessibility experts in contributing to Right Move’s latest guide: “Helping more tenants with accessibility needs find the right home”. Some of our content also featured in the “Making accessible rental homes easier to find” blog on the Right Move website.
Conscious that anybody who has ever made a career in comedy has cracked a joke at some point about the extravagant claims made by some estate agents, we looked at some key terminology and what it really means.
So “step free access to property” should mean precisely that, indicating that a wheelchair user can enter without further assistance. If there’s one step then say so, because some wheelchair users will be able to manage it. The same applies if you want to indicate “step free access to garden” or any other part of the site.
“Wheelchair accessible parking” doesn’t just mean having a space which is a bit bigger than a regular parking bay. It should fit the definition for an accessible bay as drawn in the Building Regulations, and it must be close to the property.
“Level access throughout the property” can be used when the kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom are all on the same level. And if there’s a designated wet room comprising a waterproof bathroom with a shower area level with the floor, then by all means claim “wet room within property”.
If you’re the landlord then stick to the terminology as closely as possible because just as a wet room is not really a wet room if it’s mainly waterproof, so a property isn’t really accessible if it’s mainly accessible.
If you’re a prospective tenant and you don’t see these phrases in the property description, ask the landlord about the accessibility of the building.
Both parties can also benefit from viewing floor plans of a property and from the use of clear photography and maybe even video. It’s helpful to ensure the pictures show the journey from parking at the building to reaching the door, going inside and then moving around the various rooms.
It’s a simple and effective way for someone to decide whether they can navigate the property, and whether it’s the right home for them.
