Mobility Friendly Homes Launches Invaluable Services for Disabled House Hunters
There are 8.5 million disabled people in Britain - that's one seventh of the British population. These people have not had a basic and dedicated service to finding suitable properties for sale or let, until now.
Mobility Friendly Homes has just launched. It www.mobilityfriendlyhomes.co.uk is free, internet-based service that has been designed and completely dedicated to the selling, letting and purchasing of properties that are accessible and/or suitably adapted for the needs of disabled people.
MP Nigel Waterson, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, said "it is highly appropriate that at least one forward thinking estate agent has taken steps to help people with mobility problems to buy, sell and rent their homes."
The complete void in the market for servicing disabled people was recognised by Eastbourne based estate agency, Reid+Dean, which set up Mobility Friendly Homes as an independent service. "It is surprising that, up until now, there have been no estate agencies known to have even thought about tackling this problem," commented Mike Reid of Mobility Friendly Homes.
Mobility Friendly Homes also allows agents, developers and private individuals to market residential property, and for local authorities and affordable housing providers to offer suitable properties on a rental basis. So far, Mobility Friendly Homes has also received the backing of other estate agents in the Sussex and Kent region, and will roll out nationally. This will enable any disabled person to search for a suitable home to buy or rent in their area.
"Until now, it has been virtually impossible for disabled people to find homes to suit their needs and so they need to have properties adapted," says Mike Reid. "Rarely have such properties been properly marketed. In fact we have found that some agencies recommend the removal of specialist adaptations before taking them on their books! Even worse, agents do not normally take accessibility into account when being instructed, so the only way for an applicant to find out if a home has easy access is to view the property. Imagine how difficult and frustrating that must be for someone who finds getting around a problem."
Andrew Bruce, Chairman of East Sussex Disability Association, welcomes the launch. 'It has been extremely difficult in the past for disabled people to find a property that best suits their needs. I am very pleased that this issue has been addressed and that Mobility Friendly Homes aims to make their lives as easy as possible."
Agents across the country are invited to visit the Mobility Friendly Homes website, which lists the criteria outlining what qualifies as an accessible or an adapted property. Estate agents can add their properties to the website and use the distinctive logo. Estate agents taking up the service will be astounded at the level of response from the public and the goodwill generated.
The site will prove invaluable to people with mobility difficulties. It will take some of the hard work out of house hunting. We have already received tremendous support from people involved in the field of mobility, all of whom regard this as an excellent initiative that will really help people in need," said Mike Reid.
For more information on Mobility Friendly Homes, visit www.mobilityfriendlyhomes.co.uk.