What an SDA provider does
Specialist Disability Accommodation is the bricks and mortar part of disability housing, funded by the NDIS for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. The SDA provider is the housing provider. They:
- Enrol each dwelling with the NDIA under a building type, design category and maximum number of residents
- Sign a written service agreement with each resident, covering rent, the dwelling and both sides' rights
- Collect the SDA funding from the resident's plan and the resident's reasonable rent contribution
- Keep the home in good repair, handle maintenance and manage the tenancy
- Fill vacancies, taking each resident's views and needs into account
Registration and enrolment
SDA providers must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. As part of registration they must declare in writing that they will comply with all laws about disability accommodation, including building standards and tenancy laws, and they are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards, including the supplementary module for specialist disability accommodation.
Each home must also be enrolled with the NDIA, which will only enrol a dwelling if the applicant is registered to provide SDA. New builds need certification against the SDA Design Standard for the category they are enrolled under.
Keeping housing and support separate
A core idea in SDA is that your choice of home should not lock you into a support provider. The SDA Practice Standards module requires SDA providers to:
- Have conflict of interest policies, available to you in a form you understand, and manage conflicts actively
- Use separate service agreements if they provide both SDA and other supports, such as SIL, to the same person
- Uphold your housing rights, including security of tenure, whatever you decide about your other supports
- Not restrict other NDIS providers from coming into the home to support you, which is also a rule under the SDA Rules
What your agreement should cover
Your written agreement must meet the SDA rules and any state or territory tenancy law that applies. Where no tenancy law applies, the Practice Standards list what it should cover, including:
- The rent, how and when you pay, and how you get receipts
- Any bond or board, and notice before rent or board goes up
- How long the agreement lasts and how either side can end it
- At least 90 days' notice before you must move out, unless shorter notice is needed to address a risk of harm
- How to request repairs, and the home's fire safety and evacuation arrangements
Rules SDA providers must follow
Under the SDA Rules, providers must keep enrolled homes in a good state of repair and must not house more residents than a dwelling is enrolled for. They must tell the NDIA in writing within 5 business days of events such as a vacancy, a change to the design category or building type, or a plan to charge more than the SDA funding plus the reasonable rent contribution, which needs a valuer's certificate that the rent is fair.
When a resident leaves a home enrolled for 2 to 5 residents and the NDIA is told about the vacancy, SDA funding can continue for that place until it is filled, or for up to 60 days for 2 or 3 resident homes and 90 days for 4 or 5 resident homes.
SDA providers and the 2026 changes
SDA funding is protected from the October 2026 funding reset. Since 1 July 2026, Supported Independent Living providers must also be registered, which matters in homes where one organisation provides both housing and support. From 27 November 2026, providers cannot offer inducements or kickbacks to encourage someone to use their services, which includes offers designed to fill vacancies.
Choosing an SDA provider
- Check registration on the NDIS Commission's Find a registered provider search
- Ask whether you can choose your own SIL or support provider
- Read the agreement carefully, including rent, notice periods and how repairs are handled
- Ask how housemates are chosen and how conflicts in the home are managed
- Ask for the building type, design category and enrolled resident numbers in writing