Your Rights as a Disabled Renter: What Landlords Must Allow
Disabled renters have strong legal protection in England. Your landlord cannot treat you unfairly because of your disability, and in many cases they must change their usual rules or procedures so that you can live safely and independently. This guide explains what landlords must allow, what counts as discrimination, and how to take action if your needs are ignored.
The Law That Protects You
Your rights come from the Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful for landlords or letting agents to discriminate when advertising, choosing tenants, setting tenancy terms, managing repairs or inspections, or deciding whether to renew or evict. The government explains who is considered disabled under the Act in its guidance on the definition of disability.
Shelter provides an accessible legal overview of how disability discrimination applies to renting in its guide on discrimination in housing.
You are protected if you have a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term negative impact on everyday life. This includes long-term mental health conditions, mobility impairments, sensory impairments, chronic illness, neurodivergence, learning disabilities and more. Benefits are not required for protection to apply.
What Landlords Cannot Do
Landlords must not refuse to rent to you, offer worse terms, increase deposits, harass you or evict you because of your disability. They also cannot impose “neutral” rules that disproportionately harm disabled tenants. Courts have ruled that blanket “no DSS / no benefits” policies are unlawful for this reason. Shelter explains how to challenge this in its guide on benefits discrimination.
If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is discrimination, you can check Shelter’s tenant-friendly advice on recognising discrimination by landlords or agents.
Reasonable Adjustments Landlords Must Consider
Under the Equality Act, landlords often have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments when their standard procedures disadvantage disabled tenants. Shelter’s legal summary covers this in detail in its guide to reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
Reasonable adjustments usually fall into three main areas:
• changing rules or practices
• providing aids or support
• allowing or supporting adaptations
Changes to Rules or Procedures
A landlord may need to change the way things are normally done. That can include allowing assistance dogs despite a general no-pets policy, accepting communication by email instead of phone, permitting a support worker to liaise for you, or allowing flexibility around inspections or paperwork.
Citizens Advice provides practical guidance on making these requests in asking for adjustments to help with your disability.
Providing Aids or Support
Some situations require simple aids such as a different doorbell, clearer entry system or contrasting markings on steps. These are generally low-cost but important accessibility improvements.
Allowing Adaptations
Landlords often must consider and, where reasonable, allow adaptations you arrange yourself. This includes things like grab rails, small removable ramps, lever taps or visual smoke alarms. Scope offers helpful advice for approaching landlords about these changes in improving your home as a private renter.
Getting Funding for Larger Adaptations
If you need bigger changes such as a stairlift, level-access shower or fixed ramp, you may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) from your local council. These grants are available to private tenants, social tenants and homeowners. Full eligibility information is available on the government’s page on Disabled Facilities Grants.
For additional help, Disability Rights UK has a thorough guide on Disabled Facilities Grants, and Age UK offers an easy-to-read overview of adapting your home using a DFG.
If you rent, you usually need your landlord’s written permission before major works start. Many councils encourage landlords to cooperate where adaptations are necessary and funded. Ipswich Council provides a good example of supportive guidance for tenants and landlords on DFGs in private rented homes.
What Counts as “Reasonable”?
Whether an adjustment is reasonable depends on:
• how serious the disadvantage is for you
• the cost and practicality
• building or safety issues
• the landlord’s resources
• whether less drastic alternatives exist
Even if one option isn’t possible, landlords should still explore alternatives that meet your needs.
How to Ask for Adjustments
A written request is usually best. Explain that you’re disabled, describe the difficulties you face in the property, and outline the change you need and how it would help. Attaching medical or occupational therapy evidence strengthens your case. Citizens Advice includes example wording in its guidance on making adjustment requests.
Even if your tenancy agreement has strict rules against alterations or pets, these cannot override the Equality Act where refusing an adjustment would be discriminatory.
Keep copies of everything—emails, letters, call notes and photos.
If Your Landlord Refuses or Ignores You
Write again, referencing the Equality Act and requesting a clear response. If that fails, follow the landlord or agent’s complaints procedure. Social landlords’ complaints can be escalated to the Housing Ombudsman.
You can also seek support from:
• Shelter
• Citizens Advice
• Scope
• Disability Rights UK
In serious cases—such as when a landlord refuses essential adjustments or tries to evict you due to disability-related issues—you may be able to raise discrimination as a defence. Shelter explains this in-depth in its guide on disability discrimination defences.
Discrimination claims have strict time limits, usually six months minus one day.
How Marks Out Of Tenancy Helps Disabled Renters
Reviews left on Marks Out Of Tenancy are a powerful tool. They help other disabled renters understand whether a landlord responds fairly and promptly to disability-related needs. They also encourage better behaviour from landlords, promote transparency and build a record of good or bad accessibility practices.
Key Takeaways
Disabled renters are protected by the Equality Act. Landlords cannot discriminate, and they often must make reasonable adjustments to rules, communication or the property itself. Funding for major adaptations is available through Disabled Facilities Grants, and specialist organisations can help if a landlord refuses to cooperate.