Livable Housing Design Guidelines
The Background to the Livable Housing Australia (LHA)
Livable Housing Australia (LHA) was founded in 2011 and operated as a not-for-profit organisation formed through collaboration among community groups, consumer advocates, government bodies, and the residential construction sector. The LHA originated from the Kirribilli Dialogue on Universal Housing Design, which established nationally recognised guidelines for designing and constructing Livable homes.
Why consider a Livable Home?
Who benefits from Livable Housing?
The LHA and Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG)
The LHDG have been developed by both industry and the community and provide assurance that a Livable Home is:
Core Design Elements of a Livable Home
There are 15 Livable design elements for a Livable Home in accordance with LHDG. To receive a silver certification, the core elements (1-7) must be met for baseline performance as follows:
Livable Housing Design Guidelines Assessors (formally LHA Assessors)
As from 1 July 2025 LHA has transferred responsibility to the Access Institute for the administration of the LHA and registration of Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) assessors.
Who are LHDG Assessors?
LHDG assessors are professionals from recognised fields who meet designated eligibility criteria. These individuals must provide credible evidence of their skills, experience, and qualifications to validate their expertise and confirm adherence to LHDG requirements.
Obvius Access consultants are certified and registered Livable Housing Assessors (LHDG), serving both the Gold Coast, QLD, and Sydney, NSW. Daniel Bedwell and John Bedwell of Obvius Access Consultants are officially listed as qualified assessors. Click here to access the Livable Housing Design Assessor Register
Obvius Access meet the specified prerequisites as accredited Access Consultants as listed on the Access Consultants Association (ACA) register. Click here to access the ACA Consultant Register
What Does an LHDG Assessor do?
Application of the LHDG
The LHDG performance levels are currently adopted by councils within NSW as part of development conditions and Develop Control Plans (DCPs).
Also, many community housing providers in QLD and NSW adopt the LHDG performance levels within a development as part of their range of housing options to meet the needs of individuals and their families to achieve sustainable living.
By designing and certifying your home to the LHDG, you open your house to a lifetime of living.
Livable Housing Australia (LHA) was founded in 2011 and operated as a not-for-profit organisation formed through collaboration among community groups, consumer advocates, government bodies, and the residential construction sector. The LHA originated from the Kirribilli Dialogue on Universal Housing Design, which established nationally recognised guidelines for designing and constructing Livable homes.
Why consider a Livable Home?
- 1 in 5 Australians currently have a disability of some sort. Out of this 4million (approx.) 320,000 are children.
- Research indicates a 60% chance that a house will be occupied by a person with a disability at some point over its life. This person is a parent, child, sibling, or friend.
- The family home accounts for 62% of all slip and fall based injuries and costs the Australian population $1.8 billion in public health costs.
- The cost to the homeowner of including key Livable housing design features (silver level) at design stage is 22 times more efficient than retrofitting when an unplanned need arises.
Who benefits from Livable Housing?
- Families with young children benefit from Livable homes as it is easier to manoeuvre prams and strollers and trip hazards for toddlers are removed. By having wider doors and corridors it is easier to move furniture around a Livable Home.
- People who sustain a temporary injury benefit from Livable homes, as it is easy to operate door handles and there is a step free pathway to all key areas of the home.
- An ageing population will benefit from a Livable home, as the design accommodates future needs associated with the change in physical abilities due to age.
- People with a disability and their families benefit from Livable homes because they allow them to take advantage of better housing choices.
The LHA and Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG)
The LHDG have been developed by both industry and the community and provide assurance that a Livable Home is:
- easier to access
- easier to navigate
- easier to live in and
- more cost effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change.
Core Design Elements of a Livable Home
There are 15 Livable design elements for a Livable Home in accordance with LHDG. To receive a silver certification, the core elements (1-7) must be met for baseline performance as follows:
- A safe continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and / or parking area to a dwelling entrance that is level.
- At least one, level (step-free) entrance into the dwelling.
- Internal doors and corridors that facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between spaces.
- A toilet on the ground (or entry) level that provides easy access.
- A bathroom that contains a hobless shower recess.
- Reinforced walls around the toilet, shower, and bath to support the safe installation of grabrails later.
- Stairways are designed to reduce the likelihood of injury and enable future adaptation.
Livable Housing Design Guidelines Assessors (formally LHA Assessors)
As from 1 July 2025 LHA has transferred responsibility to the Access Institute for the administration of the LHA and registration of Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) assessors.
Who are LHDG Assessors?
LHDG assessors are professionals from recognised fields who meet designated eligibility criteria. These individuals must provide credible evidence of their skills, experience, and qualifications to validate their expertise and confirm adherence to LHDG requirements.
Obvius Access consultants are certified and registered Livable Housing Assessors (LHDG), serving both the Gold Coast, QLD, and Sydney, NSW. Daniel Bedwell and John Bedwell of Obvius Access Consultants are officially listed as qualified assessors. Click here to access the Livable Housing Design Assessor Register
Obvius Access meet the specified prerequisites as accredited Access Consultants as listed on the Access Consultants Association (ACA) register. Click here to access the ACA Consultant Register
What Does an LHDG Assessor do?
- Conduct assessments and certify designs and/or as – built dwellings under the new LHDG framework to determine compliance with Design Elements and Performance Criteria of the LHDG.
- Analyse and record information required to verify compliance.
- Complete assessment forms to confirm the Design and/or Final as-built dwelling complies with the LHDG.
- Once the dwelling is verified as compliant with the relevant category of the LHDG, the LHDG assessor registers the dwelling/s with the Access Institute.
- Once the Access Institute acknowledges registration, the LHDG Assessor issues a Provisional Design Certificate or a Final As-built Certificate.
Application of the LHDG
The LHDG performance levels are currently adopted by councils within NSW as part of development conditions and Develop Control Plans (DCPs).
Also, many community housing providers in QLD and NSW adopt the LHDG performance levels within a development as part of their range of housing options to meet the needs of individuals and their families to achieve sustainable living.
By designing and certifying your home to the LHDG, you open your house to a lifetime of living.
Performance Levels
Silver Level
Seven core livable housing design elements
Focuses on the key structural and spatial elements that are critical to ensure future flexibility and adaptability of the home. Incorporating these features will avoid more costly home modification if required later.
Gold Level
Enhanced requirements for most of the core livable housing design elements plus additional elements.
The gold level provides for more generous dimensions for most of the core livable housing design elements and introduces additional elements in areas such as the kitchen and bedroom.
Platinum Level
Some further enhanced requirements for the core livable housing design elements plus all remaining elements.
All 15 elements are featured in the platinum level. This level describes design elements that would better accommodate ageing in place and people with higher mobility needs. This level requires more generous dimensions for most of the core livable design elements and introduces additional elements for features such as the living room and flooring.
Next Steps
Obvius Access can assist you during both the design phase and/or as-built stage. We are also able to advise you about what potential modifications you could make to achieve a specific performance standard.
If you would like to hear more about Livable housing design and how we can help, please contact us on [email protected] or 1800 952311.
Silver Level
Seven core livable housing design elements
Focuses on the key structural and spatial elements that are critical to ensure future flexibility and adaptability of the home. Incorporating these features will avoid more costly home modification if required later.
Gold Level
Enhanced requirements for most of the core livable housing design elements plus additional elements.
The gold level provides for more generous dimensions for most of the core livable housing design elements and introduces additional elements in areas such as the kitchen and bedroom.
Platinum Level
Some further enhanced requirements for the core livable housing design elements plus all remaining elements.
All 15 elements are featured in the platinum level. This level describes design elements that would better accommodate ageing in place and people with higher mobility needs. This level requires more generous dimensions for most of the core livable design elements and introduces additional elements for features such as the living room and flooring.
Next Steps
Obvius Access can assist you during both the design phase and/or as-built stage. We are also able to advise you about what potential modifications you could make to achieve a specific performance standard.
If you would like to hear more about Livable housing design and how we can help, please contact us on [email protected] or 1800 952311.
