What is your organisation’s name? - Organisation name
What best describes you? - Interest in making a submission
More than one of the above; I operate a large number of rooming houses. I consult on design of rooming houses (nationally). I am a developer of rooming houses. I am a director and secretary of the peak industry body for rooming houses in Victoria - RAAV I am a property investor.
How familiar are you with the Disability (Access to Premises – Building) Standards 2010? - How familiar are you with the Disability (Access to Premises – Building) Standards 2010?
I am very aware of the Standard and am very familiar with the details in them
What has been your experience of access to and within public buildings? - Put your answer in the box
Not Answered
What do you think the Premises Standards Review should focus on? - Put your answer in the box
Not Answered
If you have a problem with access to public buildings do you know what options there are to make a complaint? - Put your answer in the box
Not Answered
What has been your experience of complying with the Premises Standards via the National Construction Code? - Put your answer in the box
Not Answered
Where do you see opportunities for improvements in the Premises Standards? - Put your answer in the box
Not Answered
Do you have any general comments? - Put your comments in the box
The standards were not intended to cover peoples homes and were intended to apply to public buildings used for short-term holiday accommodation.
They have been incorrectly applied to rooming houses which are not short-term holiday accommodation and are the private homes of those who live there.
My experience has been that the premises standards have been incorrectly applied to class 1b rooming houses. It is stated that “The Standards don’t cover peoples homes” yet rooming houses being the homes of multiple people have had a standard that was intended for public buildings and holiday accommodation applied to them.
There is no demonstrated demand from people with a disability for accommodation in rooming houses and in fact there are more suitable alternatives such as provided by NDIS. A self contained room in a rooming house with a fully accessible bathroom is always hardest and last to rent, this makes this form of housing for expensive to provide and often raises rents on other rooms to compensate. Feedback from residents is that these bathrooms are not suitable for their use.
The application of the standard has has caused me to invest less money and to provide less affordable housing than I otherwise would have.
The application of the standard to rooming houses (being the private home of multiple people) seems to contradict s25(2)(d) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Opportunities for improvement:
Correct application of the standard to holiday accommodation as originally intended. It would appear that the last part of the definition of specified Class 1b building “used for short-term holiday accommodation” should have applied to the whole definition. Instead the standard has incorrectly been applied to people’s homes.
I am not disputing any requirement for better access to buildings for people with mobility issues, however this standard is not the appropriate tool for private homes, including class 1b rooming houses. It may well be suitable for a class 1b bed & breakfast (used for short-term holiday accommodation).
The application of access requirements to people’s homes should be looked at independently of this review.