Home Modifications FAQ — Batemans Bay

It can, for participants whose plan includes a home modifications budget under Capital Supports. Small items such as grab rails or lever taps are usually simpler to get approved. Larger jobs such as ramps, bathroom rebuilds and widened doorways involve building work, and generally need a full OT assessment and formal quotes before funding is released. If you are unsure what your plan covers, check with your plan manager, support coordinator or the NDIA before any work is booked.

For most funded work, yes. An occupational therapist assesses the home and the person's needs, then writes a report recommending specific changes. The NDIS or Support at Home will generally want that report before approving the work. Allow time for this stage, because the assessment, the quotes and the funding decision all come before anything is built, and larger jobs needing more than one quote take longer. For privately paid work an OT report is not always required, but it can still help get the design right.

Mostly the height of the doorway above the ground. The higher the entry, the longer the ramp has to be to keep a safe gradient, and a longer ramp needs more materials, landings and handrails. The slope of the block, the space available and the surface finish change the price too. Bureau of Meteorology records for the Batemans Bay (Catalina Country Club) station show 81.6 days a year with at least 1 mm of rain and a July mean minimum of 3.6°C, so ask about slip resistance on an outdoor ramp.

Yes, if the person has been approved for home modifications funding under Support at Home and the change helps them keep living safely at home. Since 1 November 2025, Support at Home has replaced Home Care Packages, and it has a separate budget for assistive technology and home modifications. Ask the Support at Home provider what that budget covers and what paperwork it needs, which generally includes an OT recommendation. The NDIS only accepts new participants aged under 65, so people aged 65 or over who are not already NDIS participants look to aged care programs such as Support at Home.

Find out whether the work touches common property. That matters in the Batemans Bay suburb, where the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 40.9% of occupied homes as flats or apartments and 15.4% as semi-detached, row, terrace or townhouses at the 2021 Census. In a strata building, a shared entry, path or stairwell is usually common property, and changes to common property generally need the owners corporation's approval. Raise it early with the strata committee or strata manager, and mention the building in your enquiry. If you rent, you also need the landlord's consent.

It is worth doing, particularly for a level entry or a ground-floor bathroom. The Batemans Bay Urban Creeks Flood Study, prepared for Eurobodalla Shire Council and listed on the NSW SES Flood Data Portal, covers the catchments of Maloneys Beach, Long Beach, Surfside, Water Gardens, Catalina, Batehaven and Sunshine Bay. A Local Government NSW case study on Eurobodalla described the Batemans Bay CBD and Surfside as sitting at about 2 m AHD and vulnerable to coastal flooding, and said sea level rise was projected to make that worse. Check the flood mapping for the property, or ask Eurobodalla Shire Council, and share what you find with the tradesperson before the design is settled.