Wheelchair user criticises lack of accessible homes

Nerys Pearce's home was badly damaged by a fire in February

A disabled woman has criticised the lack of accessible rental properties after she was forced to move into temporary accommodation following a house fire.

Nerys Pearce said she lost "everything" when her home, in Ascot, Berkshire, was badly damaged in the blaze earlier this year.

Following the fire "money couldn't buy" an accessible rental property for her to live in while her home was repaired, she said.

Habinteg, a housing association that focuses on accessible properties, said that only 9% of homes in the UK have "even the most basic" accessibility features.

Ms Pearce is a wheelchair user after being paralysed from the chest down during her time serving in the army.

Since the blaze, she said it had been "literally impossible" to find a temporary property that met all of her needs.

"There are very few properties on the market that are actually truly accessible or that you can make truly accessible," she said.

"Every property I viewed that was completely inaccessible made me get hit in the face by my disability, and that emotionally was very difficult, especially when you're dealing with something like a catastrophic house fire and being homeless."

Ms Pearce said she lost "everything" in the fire

Charity Disability Rights UK said disabled people were often "forced into unsuitable rented accommodation" due to a shortage of accessible homes on the private housing market.

Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability UK, said many disabled people were being "forced" into the private sector despite it "not being the best place" for them.

Christina McGill, director of social impact and external affairs at Habinteg, said: "Very few houses are one size fits all."

"It's not surprising that disabled people who need accessible homes find it much more challenging to find properties that are suitable for them across all types of sectors," she added.

Mrs Pearce is now in temporary accommodation that she said was "the best" she could find.

"My house has still not been repaired and hasn't started yet - so it still feels like you're talking about a crazy, weird dream," she said.

"I was left homeless and my dog was very hurt and I own nothing and dealing with the stress and the fallout of that is really difficult."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Housing is one of the government’s top priorities and everyone deserves a home they feel safe in.

"We are a matter of days into a new government, and we will set out policies on accessible housing in due course."