Chestertons Offers Support To Disabled Renters

Chestertons has helped launch the Accessible Lettings Scheme - an exciting new initiative aimed at helping ‘level the playing field’ for disabled tenants.

What is the issue?

There are 1.8m people living with accessible housing needs in the UK, which includes an estimated 1.2 million wheelchair users, people living with disabilities and older people who have lost some of their mobility. Unfortunately, many of these people experience severe difficulties in securing a home to rent and, according to recent research, 91% of wheelchair users surveyed experienced barriers accessing the private rented sector.

One of the most substantial barriers is the lack of details on essential features in the property descriptions on property websites, without which people with specific housing needs cannot make their decision and often lose out on properties.

What is the Accessible Lettings Scheme?

The Accessible Lettings Scheme is an initiative founded by Guy Harris of AccessiblePRS in collaboration with disability charity, Enham Trust that addresses this issue by supporting agents to improve the online information they provide for rental properties.

How Chestertons is helping disabled renters

As a founding member of the Accessible Lettings Scheme, Chestertons is training its staff to improve the information they provide online for each property, so that listings pass the “3am test” - i.e. can a disabled renter searching online at 3am make an informed decision on whether a property is suitable, without the need to call an agent for further information.

While it is not yet practical to include all relevant information for every listing, Chestertons is also making its properties searchable by two key accessibility factors:

• Step-free access - includes entry into the building, the property and throughout the property

• Lateral living space - properties that have a kitchen, living room, bathroom and at least one bedroom on the entry level

• We are also ensuring that floorplans, video tours and photos capturing key accessibility features are available on all relevant properties and will be adding ‘access information’ and standardised, searchable key phrases to each listing, noting possible barriers.

Specific requirements depend upon the individual’s needs and circumstances, however, the most common considerations are:

• Step-free access

• Width of doorways

• Wheelchair accessible bathrooms and/or wet rooms

Richard Davies, Chestertons’ Head of Lettings, comments: “Finding a suitable property can prove a challenge for any tenant, but it is abundantly clear that the situation is ten times worse for people with disabilities and specialist housing needs, who are regularly frustrated by a lack of relevant information. In London’s ultra-competitive rental market, the delays caused by trying to track down essential information will often mean that disabled tenants miss out on properties to those that have less specific requirements.”

You can view step-free properties here, and properties that offer lateral-living space here.

For more information on Accessible Lettings, please download the brochure below.

Chestertons’ Wheelchair Accessible Offices are: Barnes Village, North Barnes, Battersea Park, Battersea Rise, Canary Wharf, Chelsea, Fulham Road, Parsons Green, Hampstead, Islington, Kensington, Kentish Town, Kew, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Richmond, South Kensington, St. John’s Wood, Wandsworth and Westminster.

A Guide to Accessible Lettings