Why the rental market has been one of Bernadette's 'bugbears'

Bernadette Scalora has rented six homes over three decades, and it has not always been easy to find one that accommodates her disability.

"Housing has always been one of my particular bugbears as a person with a disability," the 52-year-old said.

The Brisbane resident has cerebral palsy, a condition that impacts her mobility.

She needs a place that is low level with a maximum of one step at the entrance.

"Anything outside of that immediately makes a home inaccessible for me," Ms Scalora said.

She said her options were further limited when she factored in locations and the affordability of potential rentals.

Her current rental, which has been her favourite, has two temporary ramps into the house and grab rails inside the bathroom.

"There's lots of little things that you can do … that will make a big difference and make it a lot more accessible," Ms Scalora said.

The latest Voices of Queenslanders with Disability report found that about one in three people with disability surveyed said they lived in a home that did not meet their needs.

More than 480 people with a disability were surveyed for the 2025 report, which was funded by the state government.

In the survey, people with a disability reported that the main challenges of finding a suitable home included the lack of accessible housing and modifications.

Housing crisis 'doesn't affect everybody equally'

Queenslanders with Disability Network's (QDN) CEO, Michelle Moss, said there was not a high volume of accessible rentals.

"The rental and the housing crisis [are] affecting everybody, but it doesn't affect everybody equally," she said.

"It has been really challenging for people with disability."

Ms Moss said that for many decades, the advocacy group had heard from people with disability about the challenges of getting modifications in private rentals.

QDN has partnered with the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) to create a campaign featuring the voices of renters with a disability and property managers.

The project, named Small Changes, Big Difference, features posters and videos unpacking myths around renters with a disability and their ability to request home modifications.

It also aims to help property owners understand how to support tenants with disability.

"This has been critical in a conversation that we had with REIQ around how could we look at shifting the conversation, shifting people's perceptions and understanding," Ms Moss said.

"We've had a really positive response."

Finding common ground

REIQ chief executive Antonia Mercorella said it was important for the peak body to be involved in the initiative.

"This is a campaign we've been working on for a number of years with QDN," she said.

Ms Mercorella said it was "powerful" to have different stakeholders coming together "to try and find some common ground".

She said she was proud that several property managers were directly involved and featured in the project.

"Generally, the response to the campaign has been really favourable from the property management sector," she said.

Ms Mercorella said it was also important for renters to understand that they were allowed to request modifications.

She said many property owners had become much more open-minded and understanding of those requests, along with new innovations that had made modifications temporary.

"I do think we've seen a shift," Ms Mercorella said.

"Yes, the property is an asset that they own, but ultimately there is a tenant who lives in that home, and so I think we are getting better at meeting in the middle on these issues."

'There's more work to do'

Housing Minister Sam O'Connor welcomed initiatives such as the Small Changes, Big Difference campaign "which raise awareness about practical ways to make rental properties more accessible and inclusive for people with disability".

He said the Voices of Queenslanders with Disability report reinforced "why accessible housing remains an important priority".

"It's why we have maintained the high standards of the National Construction Code 2022," Mr O'Connor told the ABC in a statement.

The Queensland Productivity Commission had recommended the state opt out of the federal building accessibility requirements earlier this year, but the state government said it would not.

Mr O'Connor said the state government had invested $5.7 billion into building social and community homes.

"But there's more work to do, and too many Queenslanders living with disability continue to face barriers in finding housing that meets their needs," he said.

Good, reliable and long-term tenants

Ms Scalora, who starred in the project, said she hoped property managers would watch the campaign and see that the disability community opened a wider pool for potential renters for them.

"We're likely to be very good, reliable and often long-term tenants because we don't want to leave something behind that we have found that can work for us," she said.

The long-term renter's advice to people with disability requesting modifications from their landlord or property manager was "to go in already with the information and including some form of solution".

"[That] has usually yielded the best results," Ms Scalora said.