Reasonable adjustments in student accommodation

Overview of your rights

If you meet the definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010, meaning a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, you are protected under that Act and can request reasonable adjustments. Both universities and, in different ways, landlords have legal duties. The precise duty, and how far it extends, depends on who is providing the accommodation and in what capacity.

The duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act has three limbs: changing a provision, criterion or practice (a rule or way of doing things) that puts you at a substantial disadvantage; taking steps in relation to a physical feature that puts you at a substantial disadvantage; and providing an auxiliary aid or service where you would otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage. The scope of these limbs is broader for universities than for landlords, so it matters which relationship you are in.

University-provided accommodation

Where a university provides accommodation itself (for example halls of residence run by the institution), the duty on it is generally stronger, because the university is a “responsible body” of a further or higher education institution under section 91 of the Equality Act 2010 and owes an anticipatory and continuing duty to disabled students generally. This means it should plan ahead for disabled students rather than only reacting once an individual asks. The duty extends to provisions, criteria and practices, to physical features, and to auxiliary aids.

Adjustments a disabled student can reasonably request in university accommodation include:

1. An accessible room, for example a ground-floor room, a room near a lift, or a wheelchair-accessible room with wider doorways and turning space.

2. An en-suite or accessible bathroom with grab rails, a level-access or wet-room shower, a raised toilet seat or a shower seat.

3. A room adapted for sensory impairments, such as visual fire alarms and vibrating pillow alarms for a deaf student, or tactile and high-contrast fittings for a visually impaired student.

4. A room allocation that reflects medical needs, for example being placed close to accessible parking, close to teaching buildings, or in quieter accommodation for someone whose condition is affected by noise or disturbance.

5. Additional space or a larger or specific type of room for medical equipment, a carer, an assistance dog, or storage for a wheelchair or mobility scooter with charging facilities.

6. Flexibility over catering, kitchen access and dietary needs where a condition requires it, and adjustments to shared facilities.

7. Permission to keep an assistance dog despite a general “no pets” rule, as a modification of a provision, criterion or practice.

8. Flexibility on contract terms, such as the length of the let, early release, or arrangements for a personal assistant or carer to stay.

9. Personal emergency evacuation planning (a PEEP) so that you can be evacuated safely in a fire.

10. Adjusted or extended arrangements for moving in, and continuity of the same adapted room in subsequent years.

Universities are generally not permitted to pass on the cost of reasonable adjustments to the disabled student. The reasonableness of any particular adjustment depends on factors such as effectiveness, practicability, cost, the resources of the institution and the availability of alternative rooms.

Accommodation not owned by the university

Many students live in private halls run by commercial providers, or in privately rented houses and flats through a landlord or letting agent. Here the legal framework is different, and generally less generous than the duty owed by universities.

A landlord or property manager is a “controller of let premises” or a person managing premises under the Equality Act 2010. For private landlords the duty to make reasonable adjustments is more limited than for service providers or universities. In broad terms:

The duty covers changing provisions, criteria and practices (for example a blanket “no assistance dogs” rule, or rules about how a tenancy is managed), and providing auxiliary aids and services. A landlord can be required to change a term of the letting, a rule or a way of managing the property where that would remove a substantial disadvantage.

Crucially, in relation to private residential premises the duty does not require the landlord to remove or alter physical features of the property, and does not require alterations to the physical fabric such as installing a permanent ramp, widening doorways or fitting a stairlift. This is a significant limit: a private landlord cannot generally be forced under the reasonable adjustments duty to carry out building alterations, unlike a university providing its own halls.

Practical adjustments you can reasonably request from a private landlord or private hall provider include:

1. Waiving or relaxing a “no pets” clause to allow an assistance dog.

2. Providing tenancy documents, notices and communications in an accessible format, such as large print, easy read, email or audio.

3. Allowing a support worker, carer or family member reasonable access, or agreeing to communicate through a nominated third party.

4. Flexibility over how and when rent is paid, or how repairs and inspections are arranged, to accommodate your condition.

5. Providing a reserved accessible parking space or allowing changes to parking arrangements where these are within the landlord’s control.

6. Agreeing to a temporary, removable or non-structural aid, or not objecting to you installing minor removable adaptations at your own cost.

Disability-related improvements and physical alterations

Because the reasonable adjustments duty on private landlords does not extend to physical alterations, physical adaptations in rented housing are usually dealt with in other ways. If you rent, you may have a right to request the landlord’s consent to make disability-related improvements, and under the Equality Act and related housing law a landlord’s consent to reasonable adjustments to common parts, or to tenant improvements, should not be unreasonably withheld in defined circumstances. Statutory Disabled Facilities Grants from the local authority can fund adaptations such as ramps, stairlifts, level-access showers and widened doorways, though eligibility, means-testing and landlord consent all apply and grants are aimed more at longer-term homes than short student lets. It is worth raising adaptation needs with the university disability service and the local authority as well as the landlord.

How to make the request

1. Gather evidence of your disability and needs, such as medical letters, an occupational therapist assessment, a diagnostic report, or a Disabled Students’ Allowance needs assessment. You do not have to disclose every detail, but the provider needs enough to understand the substantial disadvantage and what would remove it.

2. Contact the university disability or student support service as early as possible, ideally before or at the point of applying for accommodation, since anticipatory planning and room adaptation take time. Ask specifically for the accommodation adjustments you need and ask how they are recorded.

3. Put the request in writing, describing your disability, the disadvantage you face and the specific adjustment sought, and keep copies. Ask for a written response and a reason if anything is refused.

4. For private accommodation, raise the request with the landlord or letting agent in writing, referencing the Equality Act reasonable adjustments duty, and be realistic about the physical-alterations limitation.

5. Follow up if you get no substantive response, and escalate through the internal complaints procedure.

If an adjustment is refused

A refusal to make a reasonable adjustment can amount to unlawful disability discrimination. Options, in a sensible order, include:

1. Ask for the decision in writing with reasons, and request reconsideration, offering to provide further evidence or to discuss alternative adjustments that would still meet your needs.

2. Use the internal complaints process. For universities, exhaust the internal complaint route and then, if unresolved, complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which reviews student complaints, including on disability and accommodation, and can recommend remedies.

3. For private halls providers that are members, and for many accommodation disputes, consider any relevant redress or ombudsman scheme, and for deposit or contract disputes the tenancy deposit scheme’s dispute resolution.

4. Seek support from the Students’ Union, the university disability service, and organisations such as Citizens Advice and the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which advises specifically on Equality Act rights.

5. As a last resort, disability discrimination in the provision of education services or in the letting and management of premises can be pursued as a legal claim. Claims about education services and premises under the Equality Act are generally brought in the County Court, and there are strict time limits (broadly six months, with limited discretion to extend), so act promptly and take advice before the limit expires. Litigation carries cost, delay and evidential risk, so it is usually better to resolve matters through early and clear written requests, adjustment discussions and complaint routes first.

Points that affect the answer

The outcome turns on several facts you have not yet given: whether you meet the Equality Act definition of disability; whether the accommodation is provided by the university itself or by a separate commercial or private landlord, because that changes the extent of the duty, especially on physical alterations; the specific adjustment you need and whether a non-structural alternative would meet your needs; and the evidence you can provide of the disadvantage. If you tell me which type of accommodation you are in and the exact adjustment you want, I can give more targeted guidance on whether the duty is likely to apply and how best to frame the request.