Inaccessible Housing

Why is accessible housing so hard to find?

Because it’s barely being built. Only a tiny percentage of new homes in the UK meet basic accessibility standards, and retrofitting old ones is expensive. Even when suitable homes exist, they’re rarely advertised clearly, and gatekeeping by councils makes access difficult.

Who is affected by the housing crisis?

Disabled people, carers, and families with complex needs are hit hardest. Many live in unsuitable, even dangerous homes (upstairs bathrooms, narrow hallways, unsafe stairs) while waiting months or years for relocation or adaptations that may never come.

What is “suitability” in accessible housing?

It means homes that allow people to live safely and with dignity; space for wheelchairs, sensory-friendly environments, step-free access, wide doorways, adapted bathrooms, and more. Suitability isn’t a luxury. It’s a human right.

Why are housing adaptations so delayed?

Because the system is under extreme strain. Funding bottlenecks mean councils often run out of money before the year is over. Social housing teams are under-resourced, and Occupational Therapy assessments (which are required to approve most adaptations) face massive backlogs. Even when an adaptation is approved, scheduling the work can take months or more, often due to contractor shortages and red tape. Many families simply give up or are forced to pay out-of-pocket, leaving disabled people stuck in unsafe or inaccessible homes for far too long.

Are there any legal rights around this?

Yes. But they’re hard to access in practice. Under the Equality Act 2010, disabled people are entitled to reasonable adjustments, including in housing. The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 also offers support through Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) to help fund adaptations. But here’s the problem: most people don’t know these rights exist, and even when they do, enforcing them is incredibly difficult.

Applications are complex, assessments are slow, and legal enforcement relies entirely on individuals to fight through complaints systems or even take legal action- often without legal aid. Many families are already overwhelmed and don’t have the time, energy, or support to navigate that process. So while the rights exist on paper, they’re often out of reach in real life.

Why this matters to us:

Inaccessible housing doesn’t just steal comfort- it steals dignity, freedom, and basic safety. For many disabled people and families, being trapped in the wrong home feels like being erased from public life.

NotFine.Art exists to spotlight these quiet injustices.

When the world won’t adapt, we create. We paint, we sculpt, we document the cost of being overlooked. This page, and this platform, are about turning that frustration into fuel and making the invisible visible through art.

Explore the gallery or share your work. Because together, creativity becomes a force for change.