The NDIA has launched a dedicated webpage providing information for investors in disability housing. It’s a great move, but fixing entrenched problems in the sector will require more than just a new webpage.

Despite being approved for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) under the NDIS, thousands of people with disability are still waiting for a home suited to their needs. According to NDIS data from the March 2025 quarter, 9,662 participants had been deemed eligible for SDA but had not yet moved into an appropriate dwelling.

As part of the effort to address this the NDIA is launching a new webpage aimed at SDA investors. This platform offers guidance on investment risks, contract fairness, and alerts about misleading claims in the SDA market. Developed with the support of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, ASIC, and the ACCC, it aims to safeguard participants and prevent investor exploitation.

Which is great. Unfortunately, it’s not capable of addressing the underlying issues. Then again, under the current system there appears to be relatively little the Authority itself can do to deal with the problem.

This shortfall is particularly acute in specific design categories such as High Physical Support and Robust Housing, catering to people with complex mobility or behavioural needs. These have higher construction costs and correspondingly lower investor appetite.

What the NDIA is doing will clean up the market and help combat unethical practices.

What it’s unlikely to do is solve the root issue: a severe shortage of housing in the right places, built to the right standards.

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The NDIS was founded on the principle of choice and control, yet for many participants requiring Specialist Disability Accommodation, choice remains an illusion.

Demand continues to outstrip supply, particularly in regional and remote areas where participant needs remain unmet and market incentives are weak.

The current model relies almost entirely on private investors to build and manage the SDA housing stock. This is underpinned by payments from the NDIS but the Authority has little direct accountability for delivery.

It’s hamstrung.

The NDIA’s newly launched webpage makes it quite clear: it does not guarantee investor returns. It also distances itself from the construction, tenancy, and maintenance of SDA dwellings. These are quite rightly considered “commercial arrangements” and responsibility is left to investors.

This hands-off approach has led to a mismatch between where homes are built and where they’re needed. According to data aggregated by SDA Data and other analysts, some urban areas have seen oversupply of SDA homes in popular design categories, while remote and regional locations remain chronically underserved.

The problem is particularly stark for Robust housing, designed for people with high behavioural support needs.

Despite significant demand these dwellings aren’t being built in enough numbers to address demand. That’s because they carry greater construction and operational risk.

This inevitably leaves many participants to remain in unsuitable environments: hospitals, aged care homes, or institutional settings that offer neither safety nor dignity.

To its credit, the NDIA is increasing its data transparency and has committed to online information sessions on SDA market integrity later in 2025. But critics argue that unless the agency takes on a more active stewardship role, guiding investment based on unmet need and providing targeted co-investment, the market will continue to prioritise investor interests over participant outcomes.

The gap between promise and practice is growing. Fixing this demands a fundamental rethink of how the NDIS addresses housing as more than just a market.