Specialist Disability Accommodation is the building, not the support. It is NDIS funding that pays a housing provider for a home purpose-built or modified for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. The help you receive inside that home is funded separately, usually as Supported Independent Living. Getting the two straight is the first step, because they are approved differently, quoted differently and delivered by different organisations.
This page compares the four SDA design categories and the building types side by side, explains what a participant actually pays, and shows where to look for real vacancies. If you want to talk it through, call (08) 9515 8000 any time.
The four SDA design categories compared
Every SDA dwelling is enrolled in one of four categories. The category is what determines the funding level and, more importantly, whether the home will actually suit the person living in it. Design standards are set by the NDIS and benchmarked against Livable Housing Australia levels.
| Design category | Designed for | Key building features | Typical resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improved Liveability | People with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment | Livable Housing Australia Silver level as a minimum, plus better lighting, luminance contrast between surfaces, and clear lines of sight and wayfinding | Someone who can move around independently but needs the building to be easy to read and navigate |
| Fully Accessible | People with significant physical impairment | Livable Housing Australia Platinum level: wheelchair-accessible doorways, bathroom and kitchen usable seated or standing, accessible outdoor areas, power supplied for automated doors and windows | A full-time wheelchair user who does not need ceiling hoists or backup power |
| Robust | People with complex behaviours of concern | Silver level built in resilient materials: high-impact wall linings, secure and toughened windows and doors, soundproofing, secure outdoor space, and layouts that reduce the risk of injury to the resident, others and the building | Someone whose behaviour support plan needs an environment that will not escalate or be damaged |
| High Physical Support | People with significant physical impairment needing very high levels of support | Everything in Fully Accessible, plus structural provision for ceiling hoists, 950mm clear door openings, heating and cooling, readiness for assistive technology, and emergency backup power for at least two hours | Someone using a ventilator, ceiling hoist or other powered equipment where an outage is a safety risk |
A home can be enrolled in more than one category where the design meets both. If a participant’s needs sit across two categories — physical support plus behaviours of concern, for example — say so early, because those dwellings are the scarcest and take the longest to find.
Building types and how many people live there
Design category answers “how is it built”. Building type answers “who else lives here”, which for most people turns out to matter just as much. The NDIS caps resident numbers by type to move away from large congregate settings.
| Building type | Residents | What it usually looks like | Suits someone who… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 1–2 | A self-contained unit, often several SDA apartments within an ordinary residential building | Wants their own front door and city or suburban living, with support coming to them |
| Villa, duplex or townhouse | 1–3 | A single-storey dwelling on its own or attached to one or two others | Wants a small, quiet household and a bit of outdoor space |
| House | 2–3 | A standalone home in a normal street | Wants to share with one or two housemates they get on with |
| Group home | 4–5 | A larger purpose-built home with shared living areas and staff facilities | Is comfortable in a bigger household, often where 24-hour support is shared across residents |
| Legacy stock | 6+ | Older accommodation built before the current rules | Rarely the right long-term answer; funded at lower rates and being phased down |
What a participant actually pays
SDA funding goes to the housing provider, not to the participant, and it covers the dwelling rather than the support. On top of that, the resident pays a Reasonable Rent Contribution out of their own income — commonly set at a quarter of the Disability Support Pension plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance they receive. Utilities, food and everyday living costs are the resident’s own, exactly as they would be in any home. Support hours inside the home come from Core funding, most often SIL.
Am I eligible for SDA?
SDA is deliberately narrow — only a small share of participants receive it. The NDIA looks for extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, and asks whether SDA is the most cost-effective way to meet them compared with home modifications, assistive technology or a different support arrangement. A Home and Living assessment, usually prepared with an occupational therapist and support coordinator, is the practical route in. If a participant is in hospital, that assessment often happens during the admission, which is worth knowing because it can move faster than an ordinary plan review.
Where to look for a vacancy
Vacancy lists go stale within days, so rather than publish one here we point you at the places that stay current:
- The NDIS SDA Finder — the NDIA’s own tool for finding enrolled dwellings
- Housing Hub — the largest independent listing site for NDIS housing, searchable by suburb and design category
- Disability Housing — vacancy and sale listings across Australia
- Your support coordinator — coordinators hear about vacancies before they are advertised, which is how a good share of placements actually happen
What to ask before accepting a place
- Which design category is the dwelling enrolled in, and does it match the assessment?
- Who else lives here, and have they met the participant?
- Can I choose my own support provider, or is support tied to the housing?
- What happens if my needs change, or if the household stops working?
- What is the Reasonable Rent Contribution, and what else am I paying for?
- Who maintains the building, and how quickly do repairs happen?
- How far is it from family, health services and the things the participant actually does?
The third question is the one people forget. Under the NDIS you are entitled to choose your support provider independently of who owns the house, and a good SDA provider will expect that question rather than resent it.
Where Complex Care Continuum fits
We are a support provider, not a housing provider. We deliver the Supported Independent Living inside the home — personal care, high intensity supports, nursing, overnight care and community access — and we work alongside whichever SDA provider a participant chooses across Perth’s northern suburbs. That separation is deliberate: it means moving house never has to mean changing the team you trust, and choosing us never limits where you can live.
If you are weighing up SDA, or you have a placement and need support you can rely on inside it, call (08) 9515 8000 at any hour or email info@complexcarecontinuum.com.au.
General information current at August 2026. SDA eligibility and funding decisions rest with the NDIA and depend on individual circumstances.