It is prompting calls for a comprehensive Australian register of accessible and affordable existing housing to help play matchmaker.
Many Australians living with a disability find it difficult to find housing that meets their needs.
The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute estimates up to 120,000 people registered for the National Disability Insurance Scheme are unable to find affordable housing that meets their needs, with ramps, wide doorways or railings.
Dr Andrea Sharam is a Senior Lecturer at R-M-I-T's School of Design and Social Context.
"Vendors typically don't advertise such features, that’s one problem. The second problem, is that they often will remove those kinds of features as well, anticipating that they would get a better price if they were removed. It's very difficult for people to find the properties that they require. They’re there - but they often get sold to people without disability."
She says this demonstrates a need for a comprehensive online inventory of accessible housing in Australia, so people can easily find what exists.
The Summer Foundation, a disability advocacy organisation in Victoria, has helped established a pilot project called the "Housing Hub" - but it's still in its infancy.
"We've been doing it now for a few months, and we've got our website up and running. But what we want to see in the future, is that is becomes a great matching platform for people with disability to be matched to the house that would meet their needs," the Foundation's Alecia Rathbone said.
Schemes in operation overseas, such as the so-called "Mass Access" registry in Massachusetts, in the United States, could provide a framework for the expansion of an Australian program.
In addition to providing a registry, Massachusetts law requires vendors to list an accessible property exclusively to people living with a disability for 30 days before it can be made available to the wider public.
A similar register exists in London, focusing specifically on social housing.
Advocacy group People with Disability Australia says a lack of affordable accessible housing is one of the biggest issues facing the disability community.
There's currently more newly-built accessible housing being built in Australia than ever before.
But many people living with disability are often forced to look for older rental properties, as they can't afford newly-built accommodation.
Dean Price, the Housing and Social Security officer at People with Disability Australia, says those rentals are either not very accessible, or require significant investment to make them accessible.
"There aren’t any mandatory requirements for new housing to be built in an accessible way. That limits the stock that is actually available to people who use wheelchairs and other sorts of mobility aids. And then there are issues around modifications when someone does find a house. When minor modifications need to be made, sometimes that can be a massive problem, particularly in private rental."
Dr Andrea Sharam says people living with disabilities wouldn't be the only beneficiaries of an online register of existing accessible housing.
"In fact, silver level accommodation suits a big range of the population. We also have an ageing population, and that’s a much larger demographic. So it would entirely logical to shift the market along to do that."
