Media Release
For many years, Spinal Life Australia has been advocating for accessibility filters to be included on websites that list housing for sale or lease.
This would make it much easier for our members to be able to find accessible housing, instead of searching through individual listings, which can be frustrating and time consuming.
We’re excited to share that REA Group has now introduced these filters on the realestate.com.au web platform to help make it easier for people to find accessible housing, using keywords that real estate agents can include within each listing.
Now, we’ll be working with REA Group to educate the real estate industry and encourage agents, property managers and landlords to clearly identify accessibility features in their property listings.
There’s still more work to be done to improve accessible housing, but this is a positive step in the right direction, with a national company showing their support for better access and inclusion.
You can read our media release below.
There is huge demand for accessible housing in Australia with almost 20% of people living with disability[1]. In fact, an estimated 60% of Australian homes will, at some point, be occupied by a person with disability or injury, and 90% will have a visitor with disability or injury.[2]
With the ageing Australian population, it is likely there will be even higher demand for houses that are more accessible in the future.
Jumping online and searching for a property is a key step in finding a new home. For Australians living with disability, particularly with mobility issues, this seemingly straight forward task can prove to be incredibly challenging as information on accessibility and accessible features is difficult to find.
Spinal Life Australia is proud to share they worked alongside REA Group to help design the first iteration of accessibility filters on the company’s realestate.com.au consumer website. In alignment with Liveable Housing Design Standards, these filters provide tools and resources needed to make property searches more productive. These filters will benefit people with disability and people looking for properties for older Australians.
It’s now over to agents, property managers and landlords to clearly identify features that improve a property’s accessibility via keywords in the listing description. The use of these key words will ensure these properties appear in the search for accessible homes on the realestate.com.au web platform.
Mark Townend, Chief Executive Officer of Spinal Life Australia says of the news, “We’ve been working with REA Group closely for a while to tackle this issue which impacts people living with a disability significantly. Not being able to search easily for a home with the right features is preventing people from being able to live their life to the fullest and making do with a home that doesn’t effectively suit their needs.
“Accessible housing is a right, not a privilege and these filters are an important first step in improving Australian’s ability to find their next best home.
“Highlighting features such as step-free entry or wide doorways will are key to helping connect people to suitable properties reducing the pain points of this process that millions across the country feel.
“We are eager to continue collaborating with organisations to reduce barriers for Australians with disability and in REA Group we have found an organisation keen to lead and influence positive change,”
“Now we need real estate agents to come on board and help improve the way properties are described.” says Mark.
Jonathan Swift, REA’s Executive General Manager – Consumer Product expresses, “This new experience is the result of really listening to our consumers, and the ability to filter for homes with accessible features is just the start of our journey.
“In addition to the new search filters, we know that including high quality photographs and clear floorplans will also go a long way in helping countless people assess whether a property meets their needs.
“It’s progress over perfection, and there is more to come as we continue to innovate the property search experience to meet the needs of all Australians, whether they’re buying, renting or seeking shared accommodation,” says Jonathan.
Spinal Life Australia will continue to advocate for those living with disability to ensure that every Australian is able to live accessible and full lives.
To find out more about our advocacy services, contact us.
[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release#:~:text=In%202018%20there%20were%204.4,years%20and%20over%20had%20disability.
[2] https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/monash_-_adaptable_housing_2021_-_digital.pdf
