8 Home Modifications That Improve Mobility — What the NDIS Funds and What It Doesn't

Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary

Quick answer: The NDIS funds home modifications from your Capital – Home Modifications budget when an occupational therapist (OT) assesses that your home needs changing because of your disability. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) sorts them into minor (no structural work, generally under $25,000) and complex (structural work, generally over $25,000). It won’t pay for general renovations. Renters need the owner’s written consent.

Key takeaways

• An OT assessment comes first. The NDIA calls the OT a “home modification assessor”, and their report is key evidence for the decision.
• Minor modifications — grab rails, hand-held showers, threshold ramps, lever handles — don’t touch the structure of the home.
• Complex modifications — a bathroom rebuild, a permit-level ramp, a lift — also need a building construction practitioner and two itemised quotes.
• The NDIS funds the disability-related change, not the renovation. Standard tiles, tapware and routine repairs are not covered.
• Renting? The NDIA needs written approval from the owner before it funds any change.
• Over 65 and not on the NDIS? Support at Home has a separate Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme with low, medium and high tiers.

What counts as a home modification under the NDIS?

A home modification is a change to the building itself — something a tradesperson fits — rather than equipment you buy. The NDIA’s example in its guide to home modifications: a non-slip mat is assistive technology; a non-slip floor treatment applied by an installer is a home modification.

Equipment comes from Capital – Assistive Technology; building changes come from Capital – Home Modifications. Both start with an OT visiting your home — see our guide to accessing in-home allied health under the NDIS and our post on daily living aids OTs recommend.

Which eight modifications make the biggest difference to mobility?

For each change we note the problem it solves and whether it is usually minor or complex, following the NDIA’s description of minor and complex home modifications. The final call depends on your home and the OT’s report.

1. Grab rails

Problem: Losing balance stepping into the shower, on and off the toilet, or at the back door. A grab rail is fixed to the wall structure and rated to take your weight.

Usually: Minor.

2. Hand-held shower and level-access shower

Problem: Standing for the whole shower, or stepping over a bath or shower hob. A hand-held shower on a slide rail lets you shower seated. A level-access (hobless) shower removes the step.

Usually: The hand-held shower is minor. A level-access shower means new waterproofing, drainage and tiling, so it is typically complex.

3. Ramps and threshold ramps

Problem: A step or raised sill at the door that stops a wheelchair, walker or unsteady feet. A threshold ramp is a small wedge over the sill; a full ramp replaces the steps.

Usually: Threshold ramps and simple ramps are minor. A permanent ramp that needs a building permit is one of the NDIA’s complex examples.

4. Stair rails and stair lifts

Problem: Stairs you can no longer manage safely. A second handrail may be enough if you can still climb with support; a stair lift carries you seated.

Usually: A handrail is minor. A stair lift is complex — the NDIA names lifts among its complex examples.

5. Widened doorways

Problem: Doorways too narrow for a wheelchair, walker or a support worker beside you.

Usually: Complex. Swapping knobs for lever handles is minor — one of the NDIA’s own minor examples.

6. Kitchen bench and height changes

Problem: Benches, sinks or cooktops you can’t reach or work at from a seated position.

Usually: A single lowered section may be minor; re-plumbing a sink and rebuilding benches is complex. For equipment rather than building work, read our post on adaptive kitchen tools.

7. Bathroom and toilet modifications

Problem: A bathroom laid out so you cannot turn, transfer or be assisted safely.

Usually: Individual items are minor. A redesign is complex — the NDIA uses “modifying a bathroom” as its example of a complex modification.

8. Lighting and flooring changes

Problem: Dim hallways, slippery wet areas and floor edges that catch a foot or a wheel.

Usually: Minor — non-slip floor treatments are an NDIA minor example. Replacing every floor because you’d prefer new flooring is a renovation, not a modification.

Minor or complex — and who assesses it?

Modification	Mobility problem it solves	Minor or complex?	Who assesses
Grab rails	Balance at shower, toilet, doors	Minor	OT
Hand-held / level-access shower	Standing to shower / stepping over a hob	Minor / Complex	OT; plus building practitioner for level access
Ramps and threshold ramps	Steps and sills at entries	Minor; complex if a permit is needed	OT; plus building practitioner for permit-level ramps
Stair rails / stair lift	Unsafe stairs	Minor / Complex	OT; plus building practitioner for a lift
Widened doorways	Narrow doors for wheelchair or walker	Complex	OT and building practitioner
Kitchen bench and height changes	Can’t reach or work at benches	Depends on scope	OT; building practitioner if structural
Bathroom and toilet modifications	Can’t transfer or be assisted safely	Minor items / complex redesign	OT; building practitioner for redesign
Lighting and flooring	Poor light, slippery or uneven floors	Minor	OT

The NDIA sets out the process on its home modification assessments page:

1. Ask your my NDIS contact or support coordinator to add home modifications to your plan. The NDIA may fund the assessment from Capacity Building.
2. A qualified OT assesses your home and writes a report covering what the NDIA’s minor or complex template asks for.
3. For complex work, a building construction practitioner helps plan the change and gather two itemised quotes (or a qualified cost estimate). Very expensive structural jobs also get an independent project manager.
4. The NDIA decides. Approved work must be done by qualified tradespeople.

If the answer is no, you can ask for an internal review within three months. Not sure whether you’re in the NDIS or aged care system? Read funding allied health at home: NDIS vs Support at Home.

What won’t the NDIS fund?

The NDIS funds the part of the change that exists because of your disability, not the renovation around it. The NDIA’s home modifications page lists what it generally won’t pay for:

• Standard fixtures and fittings, including cosmetic finishes like tiles or tapware not needed for the modification.
• Swimming pools and spas, including for hydrotherapy.
• Making the house bigger, such as adding a storey.
• Repairs to pre-existing damage outside the modified area, and routine maintenance owners normally cover.
• Insurance premiums after modification, and work that doesn’t meet Australian standards.

Behind this sit the NDIS Support Lists. A support must fit one of the 37 “NDIS supports” categories and must not appear on the “not NDIS supports” list, which covers day-to-day living costs. A new kitchen because the old one is tired is a living cost. A lowered bench section because you cook from a wheelchair is a disability support.

Two more limits. Simple adaptions under $1,500 each are usually funded as low-cost assistive technology. For new builds, the NDIA may fund the extra cost of a disability-specific feature (a wider doorway) but not choices like a sloping block or a two-storey design.

What if I rent or live in someone else’s home?

The NDIS can only fund modifications to a home you own, or a home whose owner agrees in writing. If you rent privately, that means written approval from your landlord before the NDIA funds the work. In public or community housing, it means the housing provider’s approval. Ask early, share the OT’s report with the request, and keep the written approval — the NDIA asks for it.

What about people over 65 who aren’t on the NDIS?

Older Victorians who aren’t on the NDIS may be able to access Support at Home, which has its own Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s AT-HM page sets out how it works:

• You are assessed for AT-HM as part of your aged care assessment through My Aged Care. If approved, you get a funding tier that sits separate from your quarterly Support at Home budget.
• Home modification tiers are low (under $500), medium (up to $2,000) and high (up to $15,000). The high tier is capped at $15,000 per lifetime and funding runs for 12 months.
• Examples include handrails, ramps, stair lifts, bathroom redesigns and widened doorways, plus trade services and building approvals.

SESI delivers Support at Home services across Victoria. Our guide to in-home physiotherapy for older adults covers staying mobile at home.

How do I get started?

Start with an OT home visit, because nothing moves without the report. The OT watches how you shower, cook and get in and out of the house, then recommends the changes that make the biggest difference.

SESI’s occupational therapists visit homes across Victoria and can carry out home modification assessments. Our physiotherapy service can help where strength and balance are part of the picture. If you’re unsure which funding applies, our support coordinators can help, Australia-wide by phone or video.

Frequently asked questions

Talk to SESI

If stairs, the shower or the front door are getting harder, tell us what’s going on and we can arrange an in-home OT assessment across Victoria.

Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374

This guide is general information based on NDIA home modification guidance, the NDIS Support Lists and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s Support at Home AT-HM scheme information current at September 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan. For help with your own plan, speak with your support coordinator, contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 or My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.