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When to Get an Accessibility Audit
Steps at the entrance, narrow doorways, or toilets that are hard to reach can stop people from using a building on their own. For owners and managers, fixing these barriers can be expensive if they are only found during renovations, tenant changes, or upgrades.
An accessibility audit finds barriers that might affect people with disability and checks how well a building meets access needs. The results help owners, developers, and project teams decide what to fix first, plan budgets, and organise future work.
For commercial property owners, asset managers, and developers, an audit can also show which issues need a closer look before making decisions about upgrades or changes.
What Is an Accessibility Audit?
An accessibility audit is a careful check of a building’s access features and any barriers that might affect people with disability.
Depending on what’s included, an audit might look at the path from the car park or site boundary to the entrance, how people move inside, access to facilities, and how easy it is to use things like doors, ramps, lifts, and toilets.
The audit may check rules from the National Construction Code (NCC), Australian Standards, and disability discrimination laws. What’s checked depends on the building, how it’s used, the planned work, and why the audit is being done.
An audit usually lists the issues found, explains what they might mean, and suggests practical steps to fix them. It helps with planning upgrades, but the results should be seen as advice within the agreed scope, not as a guarantee of full legal compliance.
When Should You Arrange an Accessibility Audit?
An audit can be helpful at different stages in a building’s life.
Before Refurbishment or Major Upgrades
When you’re planning a refurbishment, it’s a good chance to fix access barriers while other work is happening. Checking accessibility before the design is finished helps the team line up entrances, routes, toilets, and other access features with the planned changes.
This way, you’re less likely to finish a refurbishment and then find out you need more changes to make important areas usable.
Before Leasing, Purchasing or Changing Building Use
Owners, investors, and future tenants may want to know about access limits before they commit to a property or fit-out.
An accessibility audit can spot obvious barriers and highlight areas that need a closer look. If the building’s use is changing, the team should check if new building or access rules will apply.
The audit doesn’t take the place of legal, planning, or building checks. It gives access information to help with those decisions.
When Responding to Access Concerns
Complaints from people using the building, like staff or customers, can show barriers that regular maintenance hasn’t fixed.
An audit can record the problem areas, suggest ways to improve them, and help plan a response. The audit should focus on the concerns raised and any legal duties.
As Part of Ongoing Property Management
Buildings and people’s needs change over time. Regular access checks can help managers spot worn surfaces, blocked paths, poorly kept access features, or other problems that make the building harder to use.
Identify Accessibility Issues Before They Become Costly
If access barriers aren’t fixed, they can make refurbishments harder, raise costs, and slow down projects. Getting expert advice early helps you focus on the right improvements and find practical solutions.
Request an Access Audit →What Does an Accessibility Audit Cover?
The scope varies by building, but a typical audit may examine the following areas.
| Area assessed | What the review may examine |
|---|---|
| Site access and parking | Accessible parking, paths from parking areas, gradients and connections to building entrances |
| Entrances and doorways | Step-free access, thresholds, door clearances, opening forces and hardware |
| Internal circulation | Corridor widths, turning spaces, level changes and obstructions along access routes |
| Ramps, stairs and lifts | Gradients, handrails, landings, lift access and relevant controls |
| Sanitary facilities | Accessible toilet provision, circulation space, grabrails, fixtures and fittings |
| Signage and wayfinding | Accessibility symbols, directional information, visual contrast and relevant tactile or Braille signage |
| Shared and public areas | Access to reception areas, meeting rooms, customer facilities and other relevant spaces |
An audit also checks if access features actually work in real life. For example, a ramp that looks compliant might still be hard to use if something blocks its landing or the path to it isn’t accessible.
If the audit finds problems that can’t be solved by just looking or measuring, more technical checks might be needed.
How Is an Accessibility Audit Conducted?
The process usually starts by learning about the building and the reason for the audit.
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Establish the Scope
The access consultant gathers relevant information about the building, including its classification, current use, available drawings, known access concerns and planned works.
This helps decide which areas to inspect and which rules or technical points matter for the audit.
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Inspect the Building
The consultant checks the agreed areas and notes any barriers. This might include measuring doorways, checking paths, looking at toilet layouts, and reviewing ramps, stairs, lifts, and signs.
The inspection should show what the building is really like, not just what’s on the drawings.
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Document Findings and Recommendations
The results go into an audit report. Depending on what was agreed, the report might have photos, measurements, references to clauses & standards, descriptions of access problems, and suggestions for what to do next.
If a problem needs a closer look, the report should say so instead of guessing a solution without enough information.
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Prioritise Remedial Work
Some issues are more urgent or costly than others. The project team can use the findings to spot the most important barriers, plan upgrades with other work, and see where more design advice is needed.
A clear action plan with priorities helps owners make smart choices about budgets and what to do next.
Does an Existing Building Need to Meet Current Accessibility Standards?
This depends on the building, its situation, and the legal rules that apply.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) can apply to existing premises. The Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 set specific requirements for relevant buildings and building work within their scope.
The NCC and referenced standards also establish access requirements for applicable new building work and other circumstances.
But just because an audit finds a difference, it doesn’t mean an existing building must be upgraded to meet every new rule.
The legal position may depend on the building’s classification, the nature and extent of proposed work, the applicable provisions and any relevant exceptions or concessions. Compliance with building regulations also does not necessarily resolve every obligation under disability discrimination law.
For this reason, an accessibility audit should distinguish between observed barriers, requirements that clearly apply, and issues requiring further legal or technical assessment.
The Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 provide an important reference for understanding the regulatory framework.
Why Engage an Access Consultant?
An access consultant can explain the audit results based on how the building is used, its design limits, and any planned work.
For owners and developers, this helps decide which upgrades to do first, how to fit changes into a refurbishment, and if a different design needs more review.
A consultant can also help the team tell which problems can be fixed easily and which ones need more design work or a formal check for compliance.
If work is planned, getting advice early can help find practical solutions before the plans are finished or builders start.
How AI Consultancy Can Help
AI Consultancy offers access consulting to help building owners, architects, developers, and builders check accessibility in both existing and new buildings.
We provide access audits, design reviews and reports, accessibility solutions, and help with inspections and project completion.
We help find possible access barriers, review design details, and give practical advice on meeting accessibility needs. If you’re planning upgrades, an early review helps the team fit access improvements into the overall building design.
The help we offer depends on the building and what we’re checking. Any advice should be considered alongside the approval process and your project’s needs.
Plan Your Building’s Accessibility Upgrades With Confidence
Get expert advice to spot compliance gaps, plan what to fix first, and line up accessibility improvements with your building’s needs.
Discuss Your Project →Frequently Asked Questions
How long it takes depends on the building’s size, how complex it is, how many areas need checking, and what the report covers. A small place might need a simple inspection, but a big or multi-storey building will take more time.
No. An audit checks access features and finds possible barriers, but it doesn’t mean the building is fully compliant with the DDA or all relevant building legislation. The result depends on what the audit covers and the legal or technical issues involved.
Often, yes. A consultant can visit the building and note what’s there. But having original plans and documents helps show the layout, past approvals, and planned changes. More checks might be needed if key information is missing.
The results help create an action plan based on each issue, what it means, what’s possible, and any planned work. Some things might just need simple fixes, while others could need more design, expert advice, or extra checks.
If accessibility matters for the planned work, doing an audit early can find barriers before the design is finished. This lets the team plan improvements with the refurbishment and check for any cost or timing issues before building starts.
