Can legal action be taken to make them make reasonable adjustments?

Confused
Confused Community member Posts: 15 Contributor
edited August 2016 in Housing and independent living
This discussion was created from comments split from: I'm Debbie and I work on Scope's helpline. I have a lead role in Benefits, Finance & Housing..

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  • Confused
    Confused Community member Posts: 15 Contributor
    Hi Debbie, Yesterday I was having conversations with Genesis housing association regarding access to the flats where I live and storage of my mobility scooter. In the end he has accused me of trying to antagonising him. All I was saying was why wasn't the gate and door automatic and why there was no evacuation chairs to help disabled people down the stairs in a emergency.? He has refused to make it easier for disabled people to gain access to the flats and says the building meets building regulations. The gate is very heavy and I cannot enter or exit the building without relying on others to do it for me. I've seen two old people with walking sticks struggling to open the gate. Can legal action be taken to make them make reasonable adjustments.
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Empowering
    Hi Confused,

    We're currently waiting for new guidance to be published on Equality and Human Rights in Housing. I'm afraid I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question. These things aren't clear cut I'm afraid.

    It sounds as though you need some legal advice to help you establish if there is a legal case and the chances of success should you pursue it.

    Speak to the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), they might be able to advise you on this. https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/app/home

    Hope this helps

  • Confused
    Confused Community member Posts: 15 Contributor
    Since being in a wheelchair and seeking suitable accommodation I found private landlords were not willing to change their property to meet my needs, so I had no choice but to seek help from the local authority's. I found the attitude of local authority's was "at least it's a roof over your head" they never checked to make sure the accommodation was suitable and that caused me a lot of problems. I even had a solicitor who told me I had to except a property above ground floor and move in before adaptions were done. Which I didn't want to do. Doing things the solicitors way has caused nothing but problems since I moved into this property. Not sure if the solicitor advised rightly. I felt at risk moving into the property before adaptions were done. Now I'm having to get another solicitor to deal with the problems I've got now. From Jason.
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Empowering
    Hi Confused,

    Before finding another solicitor check to see if you will be able to get legal aid for the housing problem. https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
    If you're not eligible then check the following website to see if there is a free law clinic in your area.
    https://www.lawworks.org.uk/legal-advice-individuals
    Try www.shelter.org.uk too if you haven't already done so. They're the experts in housing law.
    Have you considered a mutual exchange? They can be difficult to find but if you haven't already had a look at this option it might be worth doing so and maybe then you can find a property which is suitable for you.

    I hope you manage to find a solicitor who can help you with your case.

    Best wishes
    Debbie

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