How to enrol a home as specialist disability accommodation (SDA)

Step 1: Understand the role of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) is an independent agency that helps the NDIS run safely and to the required standard. The NDIS Commission works to protect participants and improve the overall quality and performance of the NDIS.

Step 2: Register with the NDIS Commission

Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) providers must register with the NDIS Commission.

There are different registration groups that you must choose when registering.

You must be a registered provider or have applied to become a registered provider with the SDA registration group approved. Learn how to become registered as an SDA provider.

Step 3: Understand the specialist disability accommodation (SDA) design standard and enrolment requirements

The SDA design standard outlines the detailed design requirements for SDA homes.

Download the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard:

• SDA design standard (PDF 8MB)

The SDA rules has more information about the SDA enrolment requirements.

You can only apply to enrol a home as SDA if it’s built and complete. A home is complete when a certificate of occupancy, completion or equivalent is issued.

Learn more about enrolment requirements and the SDA design standard.

Step 4: Enrol the home as specialist disability accommodation (SDA)

You’ll need to apply to us to enrol a home as SDA.

You should have your mandatory documents ready before you start the application. These include:

• proof of ownership
• permission to enrol the home where the owner and SDA provider are different
• certificate of occupancy or equivalent for new builds including refurbished homes
• costs of refurbishment if you have a refurbished home
• SDA design standard final-as-built certification documents for new builds
• Livable Housing Australia and SDA features certification documentation for existing and legacy stock as well as new builds enrolled prior to the design standards.

For existing and legacy stock, you will need to provide evidence that the home had a resident:

• between 1 July 2013 and 1 December 2016 with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs
• who had disability-related supported accommodation or equivalent payments from a state or territory government between 1 July 2013 and 1 December 2016.

Tip: How to find the right building type.

Schedule 1 of the SDA rules will help you identify the right building type when you’re applying to enrol a home as SDA.

Log in to the my NDIS provider portal and create a dwelling enrolment application.

Upload your mandatory documents.

Complete your declaration and submit your application.

Step 5: Application review

We’ll assess your submitted application to make sure there’s enough information. We’ll ask for more information from you if you haven’t sent enough for us to make an enrolment decision.

We’ll use the information given to us to decide if a home meets the enrolment requirements.

We aim to let you know if your application is approved within 28 days.

We’ll send you a letter if your application isn’t approved with the reasons why.

Step 6: Manage your specialist disability accommodation (SDA) home

You need to keep the home well maintained and let us know if there are any changes. This includes telling us when you have a vacancy.

You can submit a request to 'modify' the enrolment via the my NDIS provider portal if you need to make changes to the characteristics of the home after it’s enrolled.

You need to cancel the dwelling enrolment if you stop managing the home. A new provider must submit a new application to enrol the home. This application will be treated as a new application even if the home was enrolled in the past.

Learn more about your responsibilities under the SDA rules .