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NDIS Improved Living Arrangements Explained – Everything You Need to Know

Have you seen Improved Living Arrangements in your NDIS plan and wondered what it covers?

Improved Living Arrangements is a Capacity Building (CB Home Living) support that helps you find, move into and keep suitable housing. It funds the support you need to manage housing and tenancy tasks, not your rent, mortgage or everyday living costs.

This guide explains:

  • What Improved Living Arrangements is designed to help with
  • What the support can look like in everyday life
  • Who it is often most helpful for, and how the funding usually works

By the end, you should have a clear understanding about whether this support fits your situation and more confident about the questions you can ask next.

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What is Improved Living Arrangements Support Under the NDIS?

Improved Living Arrangements is a Capacity Building support that helps you find, set up and keep suitable housing. It focuses on the support you need to manage housing and tenancy, not on paying your rent or everyday living costs.

In practical terms, this support can fund help with things like:

  • Working out what kind of housing will suit your needs and budget
  • Searching for rental or social housing options and attending inspections
  • Completing rental applications and gathering the right paperwork
  • Understanding leases, tenancy obligations and your rights as a renter
  • Communicating with real estate agents, landlords or housing providers

The aim is to make your housing more stable and sustainable, especially if you are:

  • Moving out of the family home for the first time
  • At risk of losing your current housing
  • Finding the rental and housing system confusing or hard to manage on your own

Improved Living Arrangements funding cannot be used for rent, mortgage payments, utilities or groceries. Those costs are considered everyday living expenses and are usually paid from your income or other supports.

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Who Benefits from Improved Living Arrangements?

Improved Living Arrangements is for people who need extra support to find or keep suitable housing, especially when the rental and housing system feels hard to manage on their own.

This support is often a good fit if you:

  • Are looking for a new place to live and do not know where to start
  • Feel overwhelmed by rental applications, leases or housing paperwork
  • Are at risk of losing your current housing and need help to stay housed
  • Are planning a move, such as leaving the family home for the first time
  • Need support understanding your rights and responsibilities as a tenant
  • Want help planning more stable housing for the future

It can be especially helpful if your disability affects things like organisation, communication, decision-making or dealing with stress, and these challenges make managing housing tasks or talking with landlords and housing providers more difficult.

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What Improved Living Conditions Can Help With Day-to-Day

Improved Living Arrangements provides practical, hands-on support to make housing feel more manageable. When used well, it often leads to less stress and more stable living arrangements.

Depending on your goals, this support can help with:

  • Finding housing: Support to search for rentals, attend inspections, or work out what kind of home will suit your needs
  • Getting the home: Help with rental applications, gathering documents, and negotiating tenancy agreements
  • Staying housed: Guidance to understand your lease, meet tenancy obligations, and communicate with landlords or real estate agents
  • Managing tenancy: Assistance to budget for bills, address maintenance issues, or resolve disputes before they escalate
  • Planning ahead: Support to think through future housing options and prepare for the next stage of living more independently​

For many people, the biggest outcome is greater confidence when dealing with housing systems that can otherwise feel complex and unforgiving.

How Improved Living Arrangements Support is Funded Through the NDIS

Improved Living Arrangements funding sits within the Capacity Building budget of your NDIS plan, specifically under the CB Home Living category.

This funding is designed for specific housing-related goals, such as finding a new place to live or keeping your current tenancy. It is typically a “stated” support, which means the funds are fixed for this purpose and cannot be moved to other Capacity Building categories.

Not every NDIS plan includes this funding. You will usually only receive it if you have a specific goal in your plan related to exploring housing options or maintaining your tenancy.

Important: This funding covers the support to manage housing, not the housing costs themselves. It cannot be used for:

  • Rent, bond or mortgage payments
  • Utilities (electricity, gas, water)
  • Groceries or general household bills

If you are unsure whether this support is in your plan, check your plan for CB Home Living or Improved Living Arrangements. Your Support Coordinator or Plan Manager can also help you confirm what funding you have available.

How Care Decisions Helps You Find the Right Improved Living Arrangements Support Providers

Care Decisions is not a directory. We are a free, independent service that helps people find disability support providers matched to their needs, NDIS plan and location.

We take the time to understand your housing situation, what you are trying to achieve and what kind of support would actually help. From there, we prepare a personalised shortlist of providers who are available and suited to your circumstances.

There is no cost to you, and no pressure to choose a particular provider. Our role is to reduce the effort, uncertainty and risk that often comes with finding the right support.

How It Works

Finding the right NDIS provider shouldn’t be overwhelming. We make it easier by connecting you with dependable, available support services that meet your needs. Our FREE service takes the hassle out of the search. Here’s how it works.
Step 1

Let’s Get Started

Share your support needs, goals, location, and preferences with your dedicated NDIS matching specialist. We’ll help you find the right providers to suit your unique situation.
Step 2

Get a Tailored Provider Options Report

Our team of trained local NDIS support specialists create a personalised report, showing only NDIS providers who are available and matched to your specific requirements, location, and the type of support you’re looking for.
Step 3

Let Us Help You Make the Most of Your NDIS Plan

Once we have sent a list of options, providers will then be in touch. We’ll also help you understand how the NDIS works, how to get the most value from your allocated budget, and how to maximise the care and support available to you. We can also assist you in comparing provider pricing and service options.

Common Questions About Improved Living Arrangements Support

What’s the difference between Improved Living Arrangements and Home and Living supports?

Improved Living Arrangements helps you find, set up or maintain suitable housing, particularly during times of change or instability.

Home and Living supports provide ongoing assistance once you are already living in a home, such as daily help or supervision.

In simple terms, Improved Living Arrangements supports the housing journey, while Home and Living supports the day-to-day living once you’re there.

No. The NDIS does not fund rent, mortgages, utilities or general living expenses. This support focuses on guidance, planning and practical help around housing, not the cost of the housing itself.

Who provides Improved Living Arrangements support?

Usually, no. It is a Capacity Building support, meaning it is designed to build your skills or help you solve a specific housing problem (like finding a rental). Once you are settled, the funding typically stops or reduces.

If your tenancy is at risk (e.g., due to rent arrears or property damage related to your disability), this funding can be used to advocate for you, negotiate with your landlord and put a plan in place to save your tenancy.

Yes. If your goal is to share a home, this funding can help you identify what you want in a housemate, interview potential people and set up agreements to live together successfully.