Two separate approvals
SDA involves two different bodies. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission registers the provider. The NDIA enrols each dwelling. You need both before you can be paid SDA funding for a participant.
The NDIA will only enrol a dwelling for a provider registered to provide Specialist Disability Accommodation. If you plan to own or manage SDA, start registration early, because it involves an audit against the NDIS Practice Standards, including the SDA module.
What enrolment records
Enrolment sets out the features of the home that determine the SDA price and who it suits. These include:
- The design category: improved liveability, fully accessible, robust or high physical support
- The building type, such as an apartment, a villa, duplex or townhouse, a house or a group home
- The maximum number of residents the dwelling is enrolled for
- The location, which affects the price limit
SDA Design Standard certification for new builds
Every application to enrol a newly built dwelling must include certification against the NDIS SDA Design Standard. The certificate must be signed by an accredited third party SDA assessor who is not an employee, associate or contractor of the provider, developer or owner.
The assessor is engaged at two points: at the design stage, and at the final as built stage once construction is finished. Only an accredited SDA assessor can issue a certificate of SDA category compliance. Getting the design certified before building starts avoids expensive changes later.
How to apply
Applications are made after the dwelling is built, through the my NDIS provider portal. The NDIA publishes a step by step portal guide. In broad terms:
- Have your mandatory documents ready, including the SDA Design Standard certification for a new build
- Log in to the my NDIS provider portal and create an enrolment application
- Enter the dwelling address and dwelling details
- Upload the enrolment documents
- Name your authorised contacts and complete the declaration
- Submit, and the NDIA assesses whether there is enough information and whether the SDA Rules are met
After the dwelling is enrolled
Enrolment brings ongoing obligations under the SDA Rules and the SDA module of the Practice Standards. Providers must:
- Keep the home matching the design category, building type and resident limits it was enrolled under
- Keep enrolled homes in a good state of repair, with regard to residents' safety, security and privacy
- Not house more residents than the dwelling is enrolled for
- Tell the NDIA in writing within 5 business days of certain events, such as a vacancy or a change to the design category or building type
- Give each resident a written agreement that meets the SDA rules and any state or territory tenancy law
- Not restrict the resident's choice of other NDIS providers who support them in the home
Common reasons applications stall
- The provider is not yet registered with the NDIS Commission for SDA
- No final as built certificate, or a certificate from an assessor who is not independent
- Dwelling details that do not match the certification, such as resident numbers or design category
- Missing mandatory documents or an incomplete declaration
Why enrolment matters to participants
A participant can only use SDA funding in an enrolled dwelling that matches the SDA in their plan. If you are looking at a home, it is fair to ask the provider whether it is enrolled, which design category and building type it is enrolled under, and how many residents it is enrolled for. SDA funding is not affected by the October 2026 funding reset.