DDA Audit for Existing Buildings: Requirements, Process & Cost

When Should You Audit an Existing Building?

There is no general requirement for every existing building to undergo a formal DDA audit. The need usually comes from a property or development decision. An audit can be useful when:

• Buying a property: you can consider potential accessibility constraints before committing to the acquisition.
• Planning refurbishment: you can incorporate existing access issues into the project scope.
• Redeveloping a building: the existing access position can inform the new design.
• Managing an asset: owners can identify and prioritise accessibility improvements.
• Responding to an access concern: a structured assessment can establish whether a reported issue extends to other parts of the property.
• Working with incomplete records: a site assessment can establish conditions that historical documentation does not show.

The scope should follow the reason for the audit. A small commercial tenancy being considered for refurbishment does not necessarily require the same assessment as a large multi-level building being substantially redeveloped.

Which Access Requirements Apply to an Existing Building?

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) sets out broader obligations on disability discrimination. The Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010, commonly known as the Premises Standards, establish requirements for access to relevant buildings and building work. Their application to an existing building depends on the circumstances, including the nature of any new building work and the parts of the existing building it affects.

This means an older building does not automatically have to meet every requirement that would apply to a new building. The DDA also applies more broadly than the Premises Standards. As a result, an owner should not assume that a building’s age, or the fact that it complied when constructed, determines its current accessibility position.

A DDA compliance audit can help establish that position by assessing the building’s existing conditions against the relevant requirements.

Follow the Access Journey Through the Building

An access audit generally follows how a person would approach, enter, and move through the building. Depending on the property and audit scope, an accessibility audit assessment may consider:

The consultant considers how these elements work together. For example, an accessible entrance has limited practical value if the route from accessible parking to that entrance creates a barrier. The same applies inside the building: providing a lift does not resolve every accessibility issue if the spaces leading to it cannot be accessed appropriately.

The purpose of the audit is therefore to give the owner a practical picture of where barriers exist and what response may be required.

DDA Audit Process: From Site Inspection to Actionable Report

A typical audit involves four main stages.

1. Define the scopeThe accessibility consultant establishes which parts of the property will be assessed, how the building is used, and what decision the audit is intended to support.
2. Review available informationExisting drawings, approvals, previous reports and other relevant documents can provide useful context before the site inspection.
3. Inspect and assess the buildingThe access consultant examines the relevant access routes, building elements and facilities, recording conditions that may create barriers, then assesses those observations against applicable requirements and relevant accessibility standards.
4. Report the findingsThe report explains the issues identified and provides recommendations or identifies matters that need further investigation. For a larger property, findings may also be prioritised so the owner can distinguish between issues requiring immediate attention and those that can be incorporated into planned works.

What Should You Budget for a DDA Audit?

There is no standard cost for a DDA audit because no two buildings necessarily require the same level of assessment. A relatively contained property with a clearly defined audit area may require a different level of site inspection and reporting from a large, multi-level building with multiple access routes, facilities and areas requiring assessment.

The investment can depend on factors such as:

• Building size and number of levels
• Number of areas or tenancies being assessed
• Building use and complexity
• Number of access routes and facilities within scope
• Availability of existing documentation
• Site inspection requirements
• Level of detail required in the report
• Whether further technical assessment is likely to be required

For this reason, the most meaningful way to understand the likely cost is to first establish what needs to be assessed and why. Providing details about the building, the areas involved, available documentation and the purpose of the audit gives the consultant a clearer basis for determining the appropriate scope and preparing a tailored estimate.

What to Do With the Audit Findings

The audit report gives the owner a basis for deciding what happens next. Some findings may be addressed through maintenance or relatively straightforward works. Others may need to be incorporated into refurbishment or redevelopment plans. More complex issues may require further access assessment, design work or an alternative compliance approach.

For example, an existing entrance may present an accessibility barrier, but the appropriate response could depend on the building’s structure, available space, proposed works, and applicable requirements. The audit identifies the issue. The appropriate response then needs to be developed in the context of the building and the owner’s plans.

This is particularly useful for owners planning future capital works because they can consider accessibility improvements alongside the wider project rather than assessing them in isolation.

What Makes an Accessibility Audit Useful?

The value of a building accessibility audit assessment is not the number of issues listed in the final report. A useful report should help the owner decide. It should make clear:

• What was assessed
• What barriers were identified
• Which requirements are relevant
• Which issues need attention
• What should be investigated further
• What can be considered as part of planned works

That gives a property owner something they can take into the next stage of planning.