SDA dwelling enrolment and vacancies

the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act)
the Rules made under the NDIS Act, in particular the NDIS (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020 (SDA Rules)
State and territory legislation, including codes and standards that apply to the provision of SDA in each state or territory
the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for Specialist Disability Accommodation
the SDA Design Standard.

The NDIA decides whether to enrol a dwelling when an SDA provider submits a completed application to enrol, after the dwelling is built.

The NDIA will not enrol a dwelling if the provider and the dwelling don’t meet all of the requirements under the SDA Rules at the time of the decision.

This is regardless of any previous assessment, feedback or certification provided by the NDIA or any other party.

SDA helps to stimulate the market to produce high quality, contemporary, accessible, well-designed housing for participants who need SDA.

It’s the responsibility of the SDA provider to make sure the dwelling they submit for enrolment is suitable for specialist disability accommodation and fully and clearly compliant with all requirements of the relevant building type and design category.

As with any investment, an investment in SDA carries risks. Investors should seek independent advice and undertake due diligence on any proposals provided to them.

SDA rates are set through a legislative framework to generate appropriate returns for risk in investing in SDA.

Therefore, it’s important to be cautious of any claims being made of excessive returns on the investment.

Further information for SDA investors can be found on SDA pricing and payments.

Frequently asked questions - Dwelling enrolment

All applications to enrol dwellings as SDA must be submitted to the NDIA through the ‘my NDIS provider portal’.

A dwelling enrolment process map is available:

SDA dwelling enrolment process map (PDF 120KB)

Read the my NDIS provider portal guide  to learn how to access and use the portal.

Watch this video demonstration to learn how to use the new my NDIA provider portal.

Transcript for 'My NDIS provider portal'

An application to enrol a dwelling as SDA can be commenced at any time, however it can only be submitted for assessment by the NDIA when the dwelling is fully built and completed.

A dwelling is complete when a Certificate of Occupancy/Completion or equivalent has been issued.

We aim to process dwelling enrolment applications within 28 days of receiving a complete and correct application.

This is as long as providers have included all the information and documents we need.

We are not responsible for delays due to incorrect or incomplete applications.

If the outcome of the application is to enrol the dwelling as SDA, a Certificate of Enrolment will be emailed to you.

The status of the dwelling in the my NDIS provider portal will change to Enrolled.

If the outcome of the application is to not enrol the dwelling as SDA a letter explaining the decision will be emailed to the application contact. The status of the dwelling, in the my NDIS provider portal , will change to Not Enrolled.

Mandatory evidence requirements vary depending on the SDA Type seeking enrolment. These are summarised in the table below.

Evidence Type: Proof of Ownership In all cases, current proof of dwelling ownership must be submitted. For example, recent land rates notice that is less than 6 months old. The owner name recorded in the dwelling enrolment application must match the ownership document submitted. For example, if the dwelling is owned by a company, the owner name recorded in the application must be the company name, not the name of a company representative.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build New Build (Refurbishment) Existing Stock Legacy Stock
Evidence Type: Permission to Enrol where owner and SDA provider are different Where an SDA provider is seeking to enrol a dwelling as SDA but is not the owner of the dwelling, a letter of permission from the owner of the dwelling must be submitted. The letter must state two things: 1. the SDA provider has their permission to enrol the dwelling; and 2. the owner will not separately apply to enrol the dwelling. The letter must be signed by the dwelling owner/s as identified in the ownership document/s submitted. If the owner is a legal entity such as a company, trust or similar, the letter of permission can be signed by an authorised representative of the legal entity. The letter of permission must be accompanied by evidence that the signing individual is an authorised representative of the legal entity, for example an ASIC extract.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build New Build (Refurbishment) Existing Stock Legacy Stock
Evidence Type: Certificate of Occupancy/Completion or equivalent Where the type of SDA is New Build or New Build (Refurbishment), a copy of written certification the dwelling meets all building codes and laws that apply to the dwelling must be submitted. This is generally a Certificate of Occupancy/Completion or equivalent. The Certificate of Occupancy/Completion or equivalent must have been first issued on, or after 1 April 2016. Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build New Build (Refurbishment)	Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build New Build (Refurbishment)
Evidence Type: Cost of dwelling refurbishment Where the type of SDA is New Build (Refurbishment), evidence the refurbishment costs equalled or exceeded the amounts tabled in Appendix G of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for SDA, must be submitted. This is generally in the form of building contracts and paid invoices. A statutory declaration is not acceptable.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build (Refurbishment)
Evidence Type: SDA Design Standard Final-As-Built Standard Final-As-Built certification Where the type of SDA is New Build or New Build (Refurbishment), Final-As-Built Certification, Checklist, and Assessment Summary Report prepared by a third-party accredited SDA assessor must be submitted.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: New Build New Build (Refurbishment)
Evidence Type: Livable Housing Australia certification Where the application to enrol is for a design category other than Basic.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: Existing Stock Legacy Stock New Build when applying to enrol under the minimum design requirements
Evidence Type: Existing Stock & Legacy Stock evidence Where the SDA Type is Existing Stock or Legacy Stock, evidence must be submitted that: a. The dwelling has, at some time between 1 July 2013 and 1 December 2016, accommodated a resident that has an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs; and b. a resident who received disability related supported accommodation (or equivalent) payments from a State or Territory between 1 July 2013 and 1 December 2016. This is generally satisfied by a letter from government and/or a copy or copies of a relevant funding agreement/s that identify the dwelling address. Personal information about any resident should be redacted. The NDIA will not access NDIS participant records for this purpose. A statutory declaration is not acceptable. A third-party certification by an accredited SDA assessor who is also an accredited Livable Housing Australia assessor must also be submitted. This is to certify compliance or substantial compliance with the Minimum Design Requirements set out in Table 5 of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for SDA for the design category of the dwelling.	Mandatory for these SDA Types: Existing Stock Legacy Stock

When considering whether to approve the enrolment of a dwelling, the NDIA is not limited to considering the mandatory minimum documents set out above.

The NDIA may also take into consideration other matters that may be relevant in a particular case. Section 25(5) of the SDA Rules allows the NDIA, by written notice, to request an applicant to provide further information or documents that it reasonably requires.

There are definitions, including Building Code of Australia classifications of four building types set out in Schedule I of the SDA Rules .

The Building Code of Australia classification is recorded in the Certificate of Occupancy/Completion or equivalent issued for a dwelling.

We have improved the SDA enrolment form on the my NDIS provider portal to now also record when GST tax credits were claimed when an SDA provider is enrolling a new property.

SDA providers will be asked to answer two additional questions related to GST in the SDA Enrolment Form when enrolling a new dwelling.

This means all of the information will now be captured and stored in the my NDIS provider portal.

The answers to these questions will inform the correct SDA Price Calculation that will occur automatically in our new computer system.

Yes.

The SDA Pricing Arrangements describe the criteria for OOA that must be met by building type and when OOA is payable.

No.

The SDA Rules state that if the NDIS has funded or provided complex home modifications for the dwelling at any time after 1 December 2016, and within the period of 10 years beginning on the day the application to enrol is made, the dwelling can’t be enrolled as SDA.  

If the NDIS has funded or provided home modifications, other than complex home modifications, for the dwelling at any time after 1 December 2016, and within the period of 5 years beginning on the day the application to enrol is made, the dwelling can’t be enrolled as SDA.  

Providers can submit applications to modify the characteristics of an SDA dwelling via the my NDIS provider portal .

An application to modify a dwelling enrolment is considered a new application to enrol and all evidence requirements apply.

No.

SDA dwelling enrolments can't be transferred between providers.

All mandatory evidence must be submitted by the incoming provider with the new application to enrol.

The new application will be assessed on its merits, regardless of the previous enrolled status.

The incoming provider may need to work with the outgoing provider to get the required evidence.

The incoming provider can’t submit a new application to enrol until the outgoing provider’s request to cancel their dwelling enrolment has been finalised by the NDIA.

If you are the incoming provider, you'll need to make sure you submit the address of the dwelling for enrolment exactly as it was originally recorded by the NDIA. This is to prevent duplicate records and delays in the enrolment process.

The NDIA is considering the need to continue to enrol Existing and Legacy Stock noting that it was expected that all Existing and Legacy Stock would have been enrolled now that the Scheme has fully transitioned. Any date to cease enrolments of these types will be published with due notice given.

The SDA dwelling enrolment team can be contacted via email at [email protected].

SDA Design Standard FAQs

Information about the SDA Design Standard is available here.

The Minimum Design Requirements were the previous criteria used to determine if the construction of a dwelling meant it was suitable for enrolment as SDA. These differ depending on the SDA Type.

The Minimum Design Requirements for Existing and Legacy stock are set out in the SDA Pricing Arrangements.

The design requirements that apply will first depend on the SDA type you are applying to enrol – New Build, Existing Stock or Legacy Stock.

SDA Type: New Build New Build (Refurbishment)	First date dwelling enrolled: Before 1 July 2021	SDA Design Standard may not be mandatory if: No more than 30 days between cancellation of enrolment by outgoing provider and application to enrol submission by incoming provider; & There is no change to Building Type or Design Category of the dwelling; & Third-party certification by an accredited SDA assessor who is also an accredited Livable Housing Australia assessor is submitted. This is to certify compliance with the Minimum Design Requirements set out in Table 5 of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for SDA for the design category of the dwelling.
SDA Type: New Build New Build (Refurbishment)	First date dwelling enrolled: After 1 July 2021	SDA Design Standard is mandatory
SDA Type: Existing Stock Legacy Stock	First date dwelling enrolled: Any date	Minimum Design Requirements are mandatory Third-party certification by an accredited SDA assessor who is also an accredited Livable Housing Australia assessor is submitted. This is to certify compliance with the Minimum Design Requirements set out in Table 5 of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for SDA for the design category of the dwelling.

Frequently asked questions – SDA vacancies

Yes.

Providers must notify the NDIA within 5 business days of a vacancy arising in an SDA dwelling via the online form here .

You may opt out of listing the vacancy in the SDA Finder when you complete the online form however you must still notify the NDIA of the vacancy.

You must include the following:

The ABN of the provider with whom the dwelling is enrolled.
The address of the dwelling in full (Number, Street, Postcode, Suburb, State/Territory). Please ensure this matches the address as it is enrolled. This can be checked in the my NDIS provider portal , or the dwelling enrolment certificate.
The number of vacancies available in the dwelling.
The number of residents in the dwelling.

Yes.

You should ensure that they are able to provide accurate information as outlined above.

If the information does not match the dwelling enrolment record the vacancy will not be able to be verified and published in the SDA Finder.

Fill in question 5 in the online form (email address, phone number and website address) to provide contact details for a vacancy.

If question 5 is not completed, the contact details submitted during the SDA provider registration process will be used as the default values.

For information about how you can update your provider contact details in the NDIS Commission Portal, visit the NDIS Commission website  . 

No.

At present, only fully constructed and dwellings that have completed the enrolment process are published on the SDA Finder.

The SDA Finder is refreshed weekly. Once a vacancy has been submitted and published in the SDA Finder, it will remain active for 1 month. After 1 month it will automatically be removed from the SDA Finder.

You can re-submit your vacancy for listing in the SDA Finder each month until it is filled.

Currency of information is very important to users of the SDA Finder. Consultation with SDA participants about the SDA Finder determined that vacancy listings should be refreshed monthly.

All SDA vacancies submitted via the online form are verified against the dwelling enrolment information held by the NDIA.

You will receive an email within 5 business days to confirm that your vacancy will be added to the SDA Finder, or that your enrolment details do not match and the vacancy is not able to be added to the SDA Finder.

Email [email protected] with the details of your vacancy and what corrections are required to the information submitted in the form.

Possible reasons why your vacancy is not listed in the SDA Finder include:

The information submitted in the online form is not able to be verified e.g., the wrong ABN was submitted, or the dwelling characteristics did not match.
A month has passed since the vacancy was submitted and the listing has expired.
The dwelling is not enrolled as SDA.

Re-submit your vacancy using the online form.

Ensure that the information submitted in the online form matches the dwelling enrolment in the my NDIS provider portal.

Complete the online form here and select “Remove a Current Listing”.

No.

The SDA Finder is a tool that connects participants looking for SDA with SDA providers only.

The NDIA continues to use participant and provider feedback to help shape future improvements to the SDA Finder. If you would like to submit feedback, please email [email protected].

General FAQs

SDA providers are responsible for ensuring that each of their enrolled dwellings is in a good state of repair and is being appropriately maintained. This is a condition of enrolment set out at Section 28 of the SDA Rules .

While there is no longer a requirement to submit an annual attestation as to the good state of repair and appropriate maintenance of enrolled dwellings, SDA providers must notify the NDIA of any changes relating to an enrolled dwelling. This is a condition of enrolment set out at Section 29 of the SDA Rules .

Providers should raise claim and payment enquiries through the my NDIS provider portal.

A dedicated claims and payment team will action these queries.

Providers can also call the National Contact Centre on 1800 800 110 for further support.

The changes to Victorian laws have been made by the Victorian State Government. NDIS providers offering NDIS specialist disability accommodation and supported independent living should review the changes. Registered providers are reminded that it is part of NDIS regulatory obligations to comply with all relevant state and territory laws.

The changes have not been made by the NDIA, NDIS Commission or the Australian Government.

More information can be found at Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Act 2023 webpage or by contacting Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1800 558 181.

SDA dwelling enrolment and vacancies

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