THE SDA HOUSING PODCAST

In this episode, Minh & Debbie unpack the recent legislative changes that have emerged from the 2026 Federal Budget - changes to negative gearing and CGT treatment - and a subsequent Senate deal banning SMSF's from borrowing to purchase residential property. This is not specific to SDA investment, but to all residential investment in Australia. Listen on to understand what the changes mea...

In this episode Minh and Debbie unpack the realities of underperforming SDA properties and what investors can do when a property is vacant, generating lower-than-expected income, or struggling to attract the right participants. They explore the most common causes of underperformance, including oversupply, poor micro-location, wrong participant fit, weak marketing, and overly optimistic financial e...

In 2026, the SDA market has matured far beyond the “government‑backed cash‑machine” pitch of 2022, with national vacancy rates sitting above 40% and many outer‑suburban homes sitting empty despite being fully compliant. This episode takes a hard look at what’s changed in Specialist Disability Accommodation, unpacking the four key certainties every investor must now test before committing: tenancy...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss the latest Housing Hub quarterly snapshot and what it reveals about the gap between SDA supply and what participants actually want.  Debbie and Minh discuss search and vacancy data, the growing preference for living alone or with family, and why building for the category alone misses the point of creating real homes for real people. ----------------------...

In this episode of The SDA Housing Podcast, Debbie and Sim share what’s changing behind the scenes at NDIS Property Australia, including the website’s shift toward built and tenanted SDA properties and new investor resources, as well as an overview of some of our upcoming podcast topics.  They also discuss how the SDA market has evolved, why due diligence matters more than ever, and what investors...

In this episode, Debbie chats with Hong Knowling, founder of PPC Urban. PPC Urban are Town Planners and Planning Property Consultants with a strong focus on data research and market assessment. They discuss PPC Urban's recently launched data hub, which provides property data information relevant to the SDA, aged care and child care sectors. Hong unpacks how the platform brings together NDIS S...

Welcoming back once again Uwe Jacobs from Property Friends, Debbie and Uwe discuss the critical importance of collaboration and alignment among the three main parties involved in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA): occupational therapists (OTs), Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers, and SDA providers.  Uwe emphasises the need for a shared vision and cooperative approach to create ef...

In this episode, Debbie is joined by Lianne Friedman, CEO of Universal-U. They explore how ethical and transparent offshoring can serve as a strategic solution for NDIS and broader healthcare providers, including Aged and Veterans Care, facing financial pressures. Lianne draws on her background in management consulting and healthcare to outline which operational roles - from reception, scheduling,...

In this episode, Debbie & Grace discuss how the SDA resale market is behaving this year. They note that SDA resale activity has increased — more investors are putting their existing SDA homes back on the market compared with previous years.  They talk through primary factors that influence the price at which SDA homes are selling, including: Tenancy certainty: Buyers care about how secure the...

In this episode, Debbie & Kevin from Paramount Disability Homes discuss a complex topic - that of OSS - Onsite Shared Supports. Support for care provided in apartment complexes has generally been assumed to operate under the concierge model. However, this involves a complex funding model in addition to a participant's SDA funding, and supports funding and simply put - doesn't always...

In this final episode for the 2025 year, we take a look back at the year that was. 2025 began with clear signs that the SDA investment landscape was in for a major shift. We saw buyers becoming more sophisticated and lending rules changing significantly. But little did we know just how quickly the impact would hit - from finance challenges and new market dynamics to the pressures on NDIS providers...

In this episode, Debbie sits down with Chris Jahn from Jahn Super to discuss Self Managed Super Funds - from fundamentals and setup to administration and compliance. Not just relevant to SDA investment, this episode is for anyone considering setting up an SMSF to manage their superannuation and take control of how and where their money is invested. Contact Chris Jahn on 08 6477 9964 chris@jahnsupe...

Uwe Jacobs from Property Friends joins us again to chat with Debbie, focusing on the real-world challenges and opportunities faced by Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers in Australia.  The discussion candidly covers the issues of cash flow delays, administrative and compliance burdens with the NDIA/NDIS, pitfalls in payment systems, and the operational difficulties that providers e...

Back in July 2022, we spoke with Colin Peterson from Infinite Automation on one of our early episodes. Today, Debbie welcomes co-founder Fenil Mangukiya to share the latest in SDA housing tech and the growing need to future-proof properties with built-in automation.  Hear about key product upgrades and why simple, intuitive systems make all the difference for tenants, managers, and investors. Disc...

In this episode, Debbie & Kassy discuss the proposed Thriving Kids program - a federal initiative designed to support children under the age of eight with autism and developmental delays through early intervention services outside of NDIS. Debbie & Kassy cover the program's aims to reduce NDIS enrollments for children with less permanent disabilities, the planned July 2026 rollout and...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss what it takes to start an SDA development, no matter how small or large the project may be. Given the amount of enquiries coming in over the past 6 months from small developers, the podcast team felt that it was important to cover every aspect of the start to finish process that such developers would be going through. They cover the many and varied factor...

The National SIL Summit was held on 25th and 26th September on the Gold Coast.  During the event, we had a chat with Mandy & Andrew from Care Agency Services who explained their role in the industry and what they do. Essentially, Care Agency Services provides temporary staffing solutions, helping care providers around Australia fill gaps within their support teams. Operating currently in Queen...

In this episode, Debbie chats with a long-time Podcast listener, Uwe Jacobs from Property Friends. Uwe discusses his journey from the corporate world to property investment to delivering disability housing, and ultimately transitioning into the SDA space. Ultimately, Property Friends registered as an SDA Provider and has recently ventured into delivering modular housing as a far more time-efficien...

Data, Design, and Desirability - represent a core framework used by experienced investors and advisors to analyze, select, and drive long-term success in SDA within the NDIS market. Data refers to the rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis that underpins every sound SDA investment decision: Current and projected demand for SDA by region, participant demographics, and NDIS eligibility trend...

In this episode, Debbie welcomes back Kevin Chen from Paramount Disability Homes for a conversation about the status of the Victorian Government NDIS Housing Crisis.  This major crisis is unfolding in Victoria as state government subsidies for group home support workers which have already ended at the end of 2023, have leases for these properties set to expire on 31st December 2025. This impacts a...

This episode has Minh sitting down once again with Kevin Chen from Paramount Disability Homes. This discussion focuses on the most frequently asked questions from investors regarding Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) - particularly about properties, management, and participant needs.  The conversation covers topics such as responsibility for damages, participant eligibility for different S...

SIL Landscape: Challenges and Issues A significant challenge for SIL providers is the increasing difficulty in matching participants to vacancies for sustainable, long-term placements. Many providers lack the resources or contacts with other SIL providers or support coordinators to effectively find suitable participants for their vacancies. Providers face substantial financial pressure when vacanc...

In this episode, Debbie sits down with Denise & Lenore from our Data and Research team to review the recently released Housing Hub Accessible Housing and Support Data Snapshot June 2025. They take a look at the Housing Hub figures and what the tell us about what housing seekers are actually looking for, versus what properties are available through the Housing Hub search portal. As of the March...

In this episode, Debbie catches up again with Tania Gomez to talk about the recent SIL Summits around Australia in 2025 + the upcoming National SIL Summit on the Gold Coast next month in late September.  This event will take place on the Gold Coast at the Mantra Legends, Surfers Paradise, GC. While the primary summit days are 25 & 26 September, (lots of sponsors and guest speakers and main spo...

This episode has Minh chatting to Kirstie Shaw from Melbourne. Kirstie chats about the gaps in disability housing, from someone who is on the ground in Melbourne, and this episode gives our listeners a better awareness on this subject. Independent Living Options (ILO) Model  The ILO model (aka ILA) is intended to be a flexible model where a person can live alone, with a flatmate, or in a co-design...