“Barriers at every turn”: Social housing allocation in London
The London Assembly Housing Committee has published this report investigating the practice of social housing allocations in London boroughs. It includes how disabled people are disadvantaged in accessing affordable, accessible social housing in the capital.
On capital funding, the Committee recommends that the GLA should provide an uplift on grant rates for the delivery of new accessible homes under the recently announced 2026-36 affordable housing grant programme.
As well as calling for more funding for accessible homes, it calls on the Mayor to consult with disabled people's organisations and work with London councils, London boroughs and the NHS to publish guidance by the end of 2026/27 for local authorities and housing associations to improve the medical assessment process for disabled people and families with neurodivergent children in the social housing application process. It found:
- application forms are long, complex and full of technical language, which is a barrier for people who are neurodivergent or have learning difficulties
- application forms are inaccessible for Deaf people who speak British Sign Language, which has a different grammar syntax and structure, and
- some councils only provide online forms, creating barriers for people with visual impairments, and do not offer alternative, easy-read versions of the forms.
The Committee also heard evidence that there is a shortage of suitable accessible accommodation, particularly suitably adapted homes or ground floor units. This means disabled people may be allocated unsuitable homes that do not meet their accessibility needs. For example, being offered properties with stairs despite requiring ground-floor or step-free access.
The Committee recommended that the Mayor should work with the Regulator of Social Housing and London Boroughs to develop a standardised framework for data collection on social housing allocation, including allocations to accessible housing across boroughs.