Finding an accessible home as a family: what changes

If your household has no accessibility need, use Finding a family-sized rental in Spain instead.

For families who need an accessible home: how to search and filter, what to confirm in writing before a visit, which questions to ask about access, equipment space and building rules, and how to choose when few homes fit.

Key rules

• Filter: The accessible tag reflects what advertisers declare, so confirm every feature yourself.
• Building works: Tenants are not named as people who can request community accessibility works, so ask whether the owner would.

How to search

Use the portal's accessible-home option, then add feature filters such as lift. Some listings describe features that do not match the real home. Few rental homes carry the tag, so widen your search area if the list is short.

Searching for an accessible home does not say anything about who in your family needs it. You decide what to share with landlords, and you only need to give the details that matter for the home.

What to confirm before you visit

Ask the advertiser to answer in writing:

• Is the entrance step-free, or is there a lift?
• Which floor is the home on, and are stairs the only route?
• What are the door widths and bathroom clearances?
• Is there space to store and charge equipment?

If an answer is vague, ask for photos with a tape measure in view, or measure yourself at the visit.

Questions about interior changes

Ask the landlord whether they will agree, in writing, to changes inside the home. Interior changes need written notice, cannot touch common parts of the building, and you restore the home at the end of the contract if the landlord asks. Agree in writing now whether that applies.

Questions about the building

Ask the landlord for the community's rules on common areas, any pending works and any rules on storing equipment in shared spaces. Owners can have accessibility works approved without a community vote when a person with a disability, or over 70, lives in the home. The cost to the community is capped at twelve ordinary monthly charges after grants. The community administrator and your town hall's disability office hold the details.

When few homes fit

Decide your must-haves before you search, then trade off the rest. Relax neighbourhood, extra bedrooms, finishes and move-in date first.

1. Non-negotiable: the entrance, the home's layout, and bathroom and door measurements that fit your equipment.
2. Fixable: narrow clearances or fittings that the landlord allows you to change in writing.
3. Flexible: neighbourhood, extra bedrooms, finishes and move-in date.

Widen your area before you drop a must-have, and ask the same questions again for each shortlisted home. With children, the school catchment depends on the home you rent, so settle the accessible home first and then follow Renting with children: what changes.