The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) review of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard is active. KPMG Australia was engaged to conduct the review; public consultation closed December 2025; recommendations are expected mid-2026. That timeline matters for developers currently in design. Decisions locked in now may need revisiting if the standard changes before as-built certification is submitted. This post sets out what is publicly known, identifies the design areas most likely to be under discussion, and gives developers a practical framework for managing risk without waiting for the final report.

What the current SDA Design Standard requires

The SDA Design Standard is the technical specification that new-build SDA dwellings must meet to be enrolled with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Enrolment is the gateway to NDIS SDA payments. No compliance, no payments.

The full standard is published on the NDIS SDA Design Standard page. For developers choosing between categories, see which design category to build in Victoria for a demand and payment-rate breakdown.

The standard applies across four design categories, each with differentiated compliance obligations:

High Physical Support (HPS): The most technically demanding category. Requires ceiling hoist infrastructure or structural provision for it, turning circles for powered wheelchairs throughout, emergency backup power, and automated door systems. The compliance checklist is long.

Fully Accessible (FA): Step-free access throughout, wheelchair-accessible wet areas, compliant kitchen heights and doorways. No hoist or backup power requirement.

Robust: Structural reinforcement to walls, floors, and fixtures. Enhanced safety hardware. Compliance is primarily about material resilience rather than dimensional access.

Improved Liveability (IL): Sensory and cognitive design features. The least complex specification of the four.

Certification against the standard is required at two stages: design stage and as-built. Both require an accredited third-party SDA assessor. The design stage review is the point at which compliance risk can still be addressed cost-effectively.

What the 2026 SDA design standard review is examining

The NDIA commissioned this review to assess whether the design requirements remain aligned with current industry standards and the real-world needs of SDA residents. The review is not a minor update. KPMG's engagement and the convening of a Technical Working Group signals substantive examination, not a cosmetic refresh.

For the NDIA's own summary of the process and scope, see the NDIS review of the SDA Design Standard.

As of June 2026, the NDIA has not released the KPMG recommendations or confirmed any specific changes to the standard. The following are watch items based on areas raised in sector commentary and KPMG consultation discussions. These are not confirmed outcomes.

Watch item: Acoustic performance. Current SDA stock has drawn consistent criticism for inadequate acoustic separation between private and shared spaces. Sector commentary suggests acoustic standards are likely to be tightened.

Watch item: Outdoor access and private open space. Access to private outdoor space is inconsistently specified across categories under the current standard. Developer feedback submitted during consultation raised this as a gap.

Watch item: Assistive technology (AT) integration. The current standard's provisions for AT infrastructure, conduit runs, power provision, and structural backing for future AT installations, are widely regarded as insufficient for an HPS property being enroled in 2026. The review is expected to address this.

Watch item: Homeliness and anti-institutional design. Sector submissions cited the need to prevent SDA dwellings that technically comply but read as institutional. This is harder to codify in a technical standard, but it has been raised.

Watch item: Category-specific updates, particularly HPS and Robust. Demand growth in both categories has outpaced original assumptions. Updated specifications may reflect what the participant cohort actually requires, not what was forecast when the standard was first written.

No specific clause numbers, dimensions, or thresholds should be taken as confirmed until the NDIA publishes the final updated standard. Direct specific design compliance questions to an accredited SDA assessor.

The certification risk developers need to understand now

Here is the risk that is not being discussed widely: if a developer proceeds with design stage certification under the current standard, and the standard updates before as-built certification is submitted, the developer may be required to meet the new requirements.

As of June 2026, the NDIA has not confirmed whether designs certified under the current standard will be grandfathered when the new standard takes effect. This must be verified with your accredited SDA assessor before you finalise plans or commence construction.

The practical consequence is straightforward. Projects in early design have a window to incorporate flexibility margins against the watch items above. Projects in late design or construction have less room to move. The earlier you engage your assessor on this question, the more options you have.

Design and location decisions also drive vacancy risk after construction, so the cost of getting design wrong compounds beyond certification.

How to future-proof your SDA design without waiting for the final standard

Four principles that do not require you to wait for the KPMG recommendations.

Design to HPS structural spec where your project allows. HPS provisions, including ceiling hoist capacity, wider turning circles, and backup power provision, are unlikely to become less stringent. Designing above the current minimum for your category costs less at frame stage than retrofitting. If your project is FA or IL, review whether HPS-grade structural provisions are achievable at marginal cost.

Prioritise acoustic performance. Improving acoustic design above the current minimum is low-cost at design stage and consistently low-cost relative to rectification. It also addresses one of the most likely watch items. A property with strong acoustic separation is better to manage tenancies in, which matters to a provider reviewing your plans.

Build in AT infrastructure. Conduit runs, dedicated circuit capacity, and structural backing for future AT installations are cheap at frame stage and expensive to retrofit. Given that AT integration is a probable focus of the updated standard, this is close to zero-risk future-proofing.

Engage your accredited SDA assessor before plans are finalised. Design stage certification review should happen before you lock in your drawings. Your assessor can identify where the current standard may be under active review and advise on design margins. For demand-driven location decisions that affect which category performs best in which market, that analysis informs design choices too.

What PDH looks for when reviewing SDA plans

Paramount Disability Homes (PDH) is an SDA housing provider and property manager, not a builder, architect, or accredited SDA assessor. What PDH offers at design stage is different from what a certified assessor provides.

PDH reviews SDA plans for category and enrolment fit, tenancy demand alignment, and property management considerations. That means we look at whether a design will attract the participant cohort it is targeting, whether the configuration creates management problems after enrolment, and whether the design choices align with actual demand in the intended location. This feedback complements accredited assessor certification; it does not replace it.

From managing SDA tenancies across VIC and New South Wales (NSW), PDH sees the downstream consequences of design decisions that technically met the standard but missed what the market needed. That operational perspective is what we bring to design-stage conversations.

Developers working on current or planned SDA projects in VIC or NSW are welcome to contact PDH to discuss. See our SDA Management services for more on what PDH offers property owners.

Conclusion

The window to act on the 2026 SDA design standard review is now, before KPMG recommendations are released and before the updated standard takes effect. Two actions apply regardless of where your project sits in the design cycle: engage an accredited SDA assessor to assess your exposure to any standard update, and build flexibility margins against the watch items above where your design allows.

KPMG recommendations are expected mid-2026. Projects in early design have the most to gain from moving now.

To discuss your SDA project from an enrolment and management perspective, contact PDH directly.

Phone: (03) 9999 7418 Email: admin@paramounthomes.com.au Website: www.paramounthomes.com.au SDA Management: paramounthomes.com.au/sda-management