Source of tools

Name of the tool
Lifetime Homes

Where is tool available from

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/housingandcare/lifetimehomes/
Additional information on the tool can be found at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/foundations/2.asp
Further information on the tool, its criteria and UK Building Regulations Part M can be obtained from: Carroll, C et al (ed) (1999) Meeting Part M and designing Lifetime Homes, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

When was the tool produced
The concept was created in 1991 and a number of accessibility criteria have been included within UK regulations after October 1999 in Part M of the Building Regulations.

Is support provided
A list of common questions and answers is provided on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website. In addition, a facility is available for asking questions to the Foundation.

Organisation/s that developed the tool and country of origin
In the 1980s the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (one of the largest independent social policy research and development charities in the UK) became concerned with the quality of British housing and in particular how inaccessible and inconvenient many houses were for large segments of the population. In 1991 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Lifetime Homes Group, the authors of the tool, was formed from a group of housing experts.

Is the tool newly developed or based on an exisiting tool
The Lifetime Homes standards have been developed since 1992 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Lifetime Homes Group.

Cost of the full tool
There is no cost for the list of sixteen design features.