Improving accessibility in strata housing: barriers and policy directions in Australia

In 2024, about 21.4% of the Australians were living with a disability, including those with age related conditions (ABS, 2024). About 96% of people with disability reside in private dwellings, with 18% living in multi-owned developments such as semi-detached houses, row or terrace houses, townhouses low to high-rise apartments (AIHW,2024). The proportion of people with disability living in strata properties is expected to rise due to housing affordability pressures. With Australia’s aging population, it is projected that 60% of the Australian homes will be occupied by at least one person with a disability (Gusheh et al., 2021). A human-rights-based approach to “housing for all’ is essential to plan and deliver disability inclusive homes (Chris et al., 2023; Newman et al.,2025). National policy directions including the National Disability Strategy 2021–2031, calls for affordable and accessible homes in private sector, while the Productivity Commission (2022) highlights the urgent need to embed accessible design standards in housing. Although the National Construction Code 2022 mandates minimum Liveable Housing Design Standards (LHDS), their implementation remains inconsistent across jurisdictions. This paper presents findings from a state-of-the-art review examining barriers to disabilityinclusive homes in strata developments and the gaps in mandating LHDS across Australia. It also draws on international case studies to highlight good practices and offers policy recommendations to incentivise upgrades to the existing housing stock, strengthen regulatory compliance, and improve awareness of accessibility requirements among building certifiers and strata managers.