Guard Your SDA: WA Demands Accountability
WA Investors Warned To Protect SDA Investments Amid National Concerns
Shocking revelations about Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) aired on Four Corners this week have sparked national debate about accountability and transparency in the disability housing sector.
According to GR8 Disability Housing Managing Director, Perry Kleppe, the issues raised are not isolated to the eastern states and carry important lessons for Western Australian investors and families.
“The Four Corners investigation highlighted a pattern of excessive fees, conflicts of interest and poor oversight in SDA,” he said.
“We are seeing the same vulnerabilities here in WA and unless investors demand higher standards, the risks will only increase.”
According to Mr Kleppe, one of the biggest concerns is that many SDA providers operating in the state are not licensed real estate agents.
“Managing leases, trust accounts and bonds is a legal responsibility in WA that only licensed real estate agencies are authorised to perform,” he said.
“Yet too often, investors and participants are placing their funds with unlicensed operators who cannot provide the protection of an audited trust account.”
Mr Kleppe said the NDIS system itself adds complexity.
Under the recently rolled-out PACE system, SDA providers are unable to access participants’ housing funding details directly, leaving them reliant on already stretched support coordinators or participants themselves.
“That lack of transparency creates bottlenecks and unnecessary risks. If SDA providers had visibility of participants’ housing funding, we could give investors clearer advice and get participants into homes faster,” Mr Kleppe said.
GR8 Disability Housing is calling for greater safeguards in WA, including:
- Ensuring investors partner only with SDA providers who are licensed real estate agents.
- Stronger requirements for all SDA providers to operate regulated trust accounts.
- More transparent NDIS processes to reduce delays and disputes.
Mr Kleppe says the public attention generated by Four Corners is an opportunity for WA to lead the way in lifting standards.
“WA investors and families should be asking very direct questions of their SDA providers. Who holds the licence? Where are participant funds kept? How is compliance guaranteed? These questions are the best defence against exploitation,” he said.
