From April 2016, there will be significant changes to laws for landlords taking on disabled tenants.
The most notable change will be an increase in the rights of disabled tenants to ask for adaptations to lived-in properties.
Landlords will be under no obligation to change the structure of a property under request, and will not be required to remove walls or make any special provisions in the kitchen and bathroom.
However, disabled tenants will be free to request minor alterations – including the installation of rails and grab handles to bathroom walls and, in some cases, the replacement of conventional bath tubs with walk-in-showers – assuming such changes are found to significantly improve accessibility for the tenant in question.
Under The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and The Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for landlords, agents or other service providers to treat disabled people less favourably than others based on the grounds of their disability.
By law, landlords will be unable to discriminate against the disabled during the application process, or ask disabled tenants for an increased deposit – even if the nature of the disability in question is such that a landlord feels there may be damage caused by equipment and alterations required.
Landlords will also be unable to make decisions about how suitable a property is for a disabled applicant. Owners will be urged to have detailed discussions with any disabled applicants during the interview stage in order to outline each potential tenant’s specific needs.