Leaving home if you're disabled

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. This page applies to Scotland only. Get advice relating to England

If you are a disabled person, you will be faced with many of the same housing decisions as a young person who is not disabled. Where should you live? Who should you live with? Can you afford it? In addition, you will need to make sure that your new home meets your needs. This page explains more about your housing options and what you can do to prepare to leave home.

How do I get ready to leave home?

From the age of 14 your school should have arranged for you to get together with your parents or carers, your teacher, a careers adviser and perhaps your doctor or social worker to talk about your plans for the next few years. They should have helped you to draw up a plan of action for your future, called a transition plan or future needs assessment. They should also have helped you work out what support you would need to carry your plans out.

For example, you might have discussed:

• if you wanted to leave school once you are 16
• if you wanted to go to college or university
• what you would like to study
• what kind of job you would like to get
• where you want to live.

When you are discussing where you want to live, you can talk about whether you want to:

• stay at home with your parents or guardian
• rent your own house or flat or share a home with other people
• move into student accommodation
• move into supported accommodation
• buy your own home.

What are my housing options?

If you are disabled, you will have many of the same housing options open to you as a non-disabled young person. You will need to work out:

• who you want to live with
• what kind of accommodation you want to live in
• how much you can afford to pay for your accommodation.

However, if you are looking for somewhere new to live, you will also need to consider:

• whether your new home will be suitable for your needs or whether it will need any adaptations done
• whether you will need additional support in your new home.

Getting your needs assessed

You can ask the social work department to carry out an assessment of your needs to find out what can be done to make your life easier at home. You can find contact details for your local social work department on your council's website or using the Advice Services Directory.

The social work department will recommend things that can be done to make it easier for you to live in your home. These could include:

• getting some help with cooking, cleaning or other household tasks
• getting help with personal needs such as washing and dressing
• getting special equipment for your home, such as a stairlift
• putting up hand rails to help you get about
• installing a new bathroom.

Private rented accommodation

If you are moving into rented accommodation, you may need special equipment to help you live independently, such as a flashing smoke alarm if you are deaf, door handles that are easier to open or a ramp to help you get into the property. You may also need some adaptations to be carried out to the property itself, for example, you may want to have handrails put up or a stairlift installed. You will have to discuss with your landlord whether you will be able to make these adaptations.

Read the page on disabled people's rights in rented accommodation to find out more.

Council or housing association housing

If you apply for housing from the council or a housing association, your name will be added to a waiting list, and you may have to wait a long time before you will be given a place to live. However, most waiting lists work on a points system, and you may get extra points for being disabled. You will need to discuss any special needs you have with a housing officer, so they can ensure the property is suitable for you.

Read the section finding council and housing association accommodation to find out more.

Student accommodation

If you are moving away from home to study, you should be able to get accommodation through your university or college. Go to the page on disabled students' rights to find out more.

Supported accommodation

There are lots of different kinds of supported accommodation available, offering varying levels of support. If you are thinking of moving into supported accommodation, it's up to you to decide what kind of support you need. For example, you might consider moving into:

• a shared flat in a specially adapted unit
• a 'satellite flat' - a place where you can live independently but with support available when you need it
• sheltered housing
• a residential home.

The section on accommodation for people with special needs has more information about the different options available.

Buying your own home

If you can afford it, you might consider buying your own home. If you are claiming benefits, you should be able to get help to buy a place that is suitable for your needs. There are also grants available that could help you pay for a home.

Applying to the council as homeless

If you can't stay living where you are because the property isn't adapted to your needs, the council may consider you to be homeless. This means you can make a homeless application to the council. The council will offer you somewhere to stay while it looks into your situation and it may decide to offer you a permanent home, suitable for your needs. The section on help from the council explains the process in detail.

Can I get any financial help?

You may be entitled to benefits or grants to help you pay your rent and council tax, pay for support costs or get adaptations done to your home. Some benefits will depend on how disabled you are, others will depend on how much money you have. The Direct.gov website has information about the range of different benefits available.

What benefits can I claim?

• If you are on a low income, you may be able to claim:
  • income support
  • housing benefit
  • council tax benefit
  • working tax credit.
• If you have care or mobility needs, you may be able to claim:
  • disability living allowance
  • self-directed support (direct payments)
  • independent living fund.
• If you can't work because you are disabled, you may be able to claim incapacity benefit.
• If you have a carer, they may be able to claim carer's allowance.

You may also be able to get a community care grant, a budgeting loan or a crisis loan from the social fund to help you set up home for the first time. You can find out more about financial support for disabled people here.

Where can I get help with benefits?

Working out which benefits you can claim can be complicated - and filling in the forms can be worse! So it's a good idea to get some help from a Citizens Advice Bureau or a disability advice service. An adviser can help you:

• find out what you're entitled to
• fill in the forms
• sort out any problems with your benefits.

Where can I get help and advice?

Our useful links for disabled people page contains contact details for lots of organisations offering advice, information and support.