Home Accessibility Planner: Room by Room, Now and Later

Quick answer: go room by room, from the front door to the garden, and note what is hard now and what is getting harder. This planner turns your answers into a printable list of small changes and bigger adaptations for each room, a “thinking ahead” section about your house, and who pays in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Most home adaptations are small: a rail, a perching stool, a raised toilet seat, better lighting on the stairs. In England many of those are free once the council has assessed you. The bigger jobs, such as a stairlift or a level-access shower, take months to arrange through a grant, so it pays to see them coming.

How the planner works

For each everyday task you choose “Hard now”, “Getting harder”, “Fine” or “Does not apply”. Anything hard now is marked Now in your plan, and anything getting harder is marked Plan. For each one the plan lists the small changes people usually try first, then the bigger work if those are not enough, with links to our guides. The “Planning ahead” questions are about the building: a downstairs toilet, a spare downstairs room, the shape of the stairs, a step-free way in and a walk-in shower. Those are the things that are slow and costly to change, so the plan flags them early.

The planner does not assess health, predict future needs or say what equipment is right. An occupational therapist does that, and in most of the UK the assessment is free. If someone has fallen, or is struggling to wash, dress or use the toilet safely, ask the council for an assessment now instead of waiting.

Who pays: the short version

• England: assessed community equipment and minor adaptations of £1,000 or less each are free (regulation 3 of SI 2014/2672). Bigger work goes through the Disabled Facilities Grant.
• Wales: council social services, who may ask for a contribution. Bigger work goes through the Disabled Facilities Grant.
• Scotland: your council, who may ask for a contribution. There is no Disabled Facilities Grant; bigger work goes through the Scheme of Assistance.
• Northern Ireland: the HSC Trust occupational therapy service. Bigger work goes through the Housing Executive’s Disabled Facilities Grant.

The detail, with sources, is in our guide to free equipment from the council or NHS and our Disabled Facilities Grant guide.

Related tools and guides

• Home fall-risk check: a scored safety check of stairs, bathroom, lighting and floors
• The Cost of Staying Put: adapting your home against moving
• Grants and funding finder
• Mobility quote checker: if you have a quote for a stairlift or bathroom
• Cancelling a contract signed at home: the 14-day rules
• Mobility Consumer Protection Centre

General information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my home assessed for adaptations?

Contact adult social care at your council (social services in Wales, the HSC Trust in Northern Ireland) and ask for an occupational therapy assessment. Describe the tasks you find hard and mention any recent fall or hospital stay. The assessment is free.

Are small home adaptations free?

In England, yes, once the council has assessed you as needing them: councils cannot charge for minor adaptations costing £1,000 or less each. In Wales and Scotland you may be asked for a contribution, and in Northern Ireland you may have to pay for some items.

What counts as a minor adaptation?

Things like grab rails, stair rails, small ramps, lever taps, perching stools, shower chairs, bath boards, raised toilet seats and key safes. Stairlifts, level-access showers and riser recliners usually do not count.

How can I plan a home for getting older?

Check the things that are slow to change: whether there is a toilet and a possible bedroom downstairs, whether the stairs are straight, whether there is a step-free way in, and whether the bath could become a walk-in shower. Small changes such as rails and lighting can go in early.

Should I adapt my home or move?

It depends on the house, the cost of the work and what grants are available. Our Cost of Staying Put calculator compares the cost of adapting with the cost of moving, using your own figures.