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Making finding an accessible home easier for families across Gloucestershire

New Accessible Housing Register

For many families in our communities finding a warm, safe, affordable home is already challenging, but it can be even more difficult if you or your family have accessibility needs.

We work hard to adapt our homes where we can and have even factored building fully accessible homes into our new developments, but it can be difficult for families to quickly see if a home will meet their needs. That’s why we’ve been working with Gloucestershire County Council to create a new Accessible Housing Register.

Championed by our friends over at Gloucester City Homes, the new register works a bit like the energy rating systems that you see on electrical appliances. Each home is given an accessibility rating from A (most accessible) to G (not assessed yet), which will be displayed alongside other information on the Homeseeker Plus website.

This will make it really easy for families to see if a home will meet their accessibility needs.

We’ve been working #Twogether with Gloucester City Homes, Cheltenham Borough Homes, The Guinness Partnership, Stroud District Council and the Occupational Therapists at Gloucestershire City Council, the Integrated Care Board and the HomeSeeker’s Board to develop the scheme and it’s great to finally see it get launched.  

The categories are based on the London Accessible Housing Register system, and a description of the categories can be found below:

  • A Fully wheelchair accessible: Designed to meet wheelchair housing standards.
  • B Partially wheelchair accessible: Wheelchair users can access main facilities but not all areas.
  • C Lifetime homes: Features include level access, wider corridors, and adaptable stairs.
  • D Easy Access: Level entrance with features similar to Category C internally.
  • E Step free: No steps at the entrance, suitable for those who struggle with steps.
  • E* Minimal Steps: No more than 4 steps to enter, suitable for limited mobility.
  • F General needs Housing: Does not meet the above standards, may have steps or poor internal access.
  • G Not yet assessed: Accessibility category not available because the property has not been assessed.

 You can find more details on the HomeSeeker’s website.