Cost comparisons by Habinteg Housing Association of grab rail, stairlift, and wetroom adaptations show that people living in an M4(1) visitable dwelling who may need to make such adaptations could be almost £27,000 worse off compared to those in an accessible and adaptable M4(2) home.

Families and individuals could be forced to spend savings to privately fund essential adaptations while local authorities would be picking up the bill for those who do not have savings through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).

With the UK Government allocating £625 million to local authorities’ DFG funds in 2024/25 (185 percent more than 10 years ago), unless homes are designed to be more adaptable from the outset, councils are set to face increasing pressure on home adaptation grants as the population ages and disability rates rise, Habinteg warns.

This is one reason why Habinteg is urging the government to make the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard the baseline for all new homes in England and to immediately hold the one short consultation with industry stakeholders on the implementation details to make it happen.

If it does not, its pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes this parliamentary term could see the country’s housing crisis worsen for future households that include disabled and older people.

M4(1) Category 1 buildings are visitable dwellings. This is the current mandatory regulatory baseline. While it offers some basic accessibility features, it fails to guarantee true ‘visitability’ to all and the adaptability that many households will need over their lifetimes, Habinteg says.

M4(2) Category 2 buildings are accessible and adaptable dwellings. This standard is an accessible and adaptable standard offering enhanced access features and benefits to all households over the lifetime of the home.

M4(3) Category 3 buildings are wheelchair user dwellings. This standard specifies accommodation to meet the needs of a household that includes a wheelchair user.

Christina McGill, Habinteg’s Director of Social Impact & External Affairs, commented: “Almost 80 percent of disabled people acquire their impairment after the age of 16, so the accessibility and adaptability of new homes is critical if they are to be fit for purpose for the whole population. Our simple cost comparisons show it’s much cheaper to adapt an M4(2) accessible and adaptable home, making this standard fantastic value for money.

“We should also remember that M4(2) homes are not specialist, they are designed to be inclusive, welcoming and easy to live in for everyone, whether it be a young person starting out, a family with young children or older people in retirement.

“So, as the Labour Government embarks on its ambitious house-building program, we urge them to prioritise accessibility and adaptability in all new homes.

“Bringing in the accessible and adaptable standard, now, for all new homes built in England will ensure that our housing stock is fit for the future and will send a strong message that the health and wellbeing of all citizens is being prioritised.”

Currently, 1.8 million people in the UK need an accessible home, according to Habinteg research.

However, only 91 percent of homes currently provide the four main features for the lowest level of accessibility – a home that is ‘visitable’. This type of home offers some basic accessibility features and fails to guarantee true ‘visitability’ to all and the adaptability that many households will need over their lifetimes, Habinteg underlines.

Since the plan to amend building regulations was announced in July 2022, approximately 75 percent of homes that have received planning permission will be built to the current baseline, the visitable standard, missing an opportunity to future-proof them through the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard.

Habinteg’s price comparison illustrates that the cost of adapting an older or M4(1) home, for a person who may need one or all three of the most common adaptations, could cost almost £27,000.

The housing association outlines some typical examples of adaptation costs below in an M4(1) home versus an M4(2) home.

A bathroom grab rail can cost over £270 to install in an older home. As the property’s wall may be too weak to mount a grab rail, the work would include wall strengthening. For an M4(2) property, which already has walls capable of supporting a grab rail, a builder could install the grab rail at a more affordable cost of around £125.

If someone needs a stairlift, it can cost between £9,000-£10,000 to install one in an M4(1) home, depending on the design of the stairs. An M4(1) property is likely to have steeper and narrower or curved staircase. Whereas the cost of fitting a stairlift in an accessible and adaptable home would average between £2,500-£4,000. In some older homes, stairlifts are not possible to fit, due to the narrowness of the stairs or other prohibitive design issues, in which case a through-floor lift is needed, which can cost between £18,000 and £20,000.

Meanwhile, converting an entry-level toilet to a wetroom – completing all the structural and plumbing work needed – would typically cost at least £6,500 in an M4(1) home. In contrast, adapting the same room in an accessible and adaptable home (using the pre-existing drainage) could be close to £1,800 cheaper, with less work required, making it 37 percent cheaper to adapt than an M4(1) home.

Kerry Thompson, a disability activist and wheelchair user, said: “We’re living in a society where individuals are living longer, with a life expectancy in England of 79 years for males and 83 years for women. Add appropriate housing to that and it can dramatically improve a disabled or older person’s ability to live independently. We know that those with homes that do meet their accessibility needs also report improved health and well-being.

“And, having the right adaptations to a home that is already accessible and adaptable can create significant savings to the public purse, reducing social care costs for local authorities and health costs for the NHS.

“I urge everyone to think for just a few seconds of the type of future disabled and older people face if the M4(2) standard is not implemented now. Very few of us have the income or savings necessary to afford the kind of adaptations needed to an older or M4(1) home. The DFG isn’t an endless pot.”