SensAbility Scheme

Overview

A multisensory room is a space designed around one person's particular sensitivities, combining light, colour, sound and texture in an environment where they can explore and settle without risk. For someone living with autism or sensory overload, having one at home can be the difference between a manageable day and an overwhelming one, and it can help them focus, calm down and play naturally.

SensAbility funds exactly that. It began as a formal addendum to the Housing Authority's Scheme for Persons with Disability, and the current version of that parent scheme now writes the sensory equipment provision directly into its own text as well, alongside the standalone addendum document. Either way, eligibility follows the Disability Scheme's own rules rather than a separate set.

Who This Is For

This is a scheme for adapting a home the applicant or their family member already lives in. Investment properties fall outside it.

Eligibility

Because SensAbility operates as an addendum, the eligibility criteria are those of the Disability Scheme published on 13 February 2012 and its subsequent amendments of 1 November 2019, rather than a separate set.

In practice that means the applicant is normally the person with the disability where they are 18 or over, or their parents or legal guardians where they are younger, and a relative or legal representative may apply on their behalf. The applicant must be the owner, a recognised tenant, an emphyteuta, or occupying the property with the owner's permission. At least one member of a couple must be Maltese, an EU citizen, or hold refugee status, subsidiary protection, long-term residence status, or another specific authorisation.

Two things carry a caveat here rather than a firm figure. Earlier documentation for the Disability Scheme required twelve months of continuous Malta residence and capped applicant assets at €150,000, and both of those limits would apply here too by inheritance. The current version of the Disability Scheme's Terms and Conditions doesn't clearly restate either one, so whether they still apply is worth confirming directly with the Housing Authority rather than assuming either way.

What It Offers

Up to €6,000 toward sensory equipment and alterations to a sensory room.

The equipment list in the Terms and Conditions is unusually specific, running to more than fifty named items. It includes swings of many kinds, among them acrobat, bolster, cuddle, disc, frog, moon, platform, sling, snuggle, tube and cocoon swings in child and adult sizes, along with traverse and composite climbing walls, climbing ladders, crash pits and their accessories including an interactive vibro acoustic version, bean bag and floor cushions, rocker boards, rocking barrels, scooter boards and ramps, floor and wall mats, therapy rope, trapeze bars, suspension brackets, safety rotational devices and weighted blankets.

Alterations to the room itself are also covered, specifically the replacement of floor tiles with tiles carrying no pattern or repeating pattern, and the replacement of windows and doors.

Applying

Before financial assistance is granted, an occupational therapist carries out a home visit to analyse the needs of the person the room is for, and the works funded must be for their genuine benefit. The application then follows the Disability Scheme's process, including the €20 administrative charge and the further charge covering the Authority's research, with payment made after purchase and completion against fiscal receipts.

How to Apply

Applications go through the Housing Authority's offices at 22 Pietro Floriani Street in Floriana and its Gozo branch at 25 Enrico Mizzi Street in Victoria, following the same route as the Scheme for Persons with Disability. Where the applicant cannot attend in person for reasons connected to their disability, a relative may deliver the application instead.

Living With The Conditions

The Disability Scheme's conditions apply here as well. The property must remain the beneficiary's ordinary residence for at least ten years from the final payment, and false declarations carry a fine equal to the entire subsidy received, a five year ban from every Housing Authority scheme, and the possibility of criminal proceedings.

Source & Verification

This summary draws on the Housing Authority's SensAbility Scheme page and the official Addendum to the DIS Scheme Terms and Conditions, cross checked clause by clause and last verified on 4 August 2026. Because SensAbility is an addendum, its eligibility and general conditions sit in the Scheme for Persons with Disability Terms and Conditions, which are linked below alongside it.

• Scheme page: https://housingauthority.gov.mt/scheme/sensability-scheme/
• Addendum Terms and Conditions (PDF): https://housingauthority.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SensAbility-Initative-English-terms-and-conditions.pdf
• Underlying Disability Scheme Terms and Conditions (PDF): https://housingauthority.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DIS-Conditions-English-2022.pdf

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general awareness only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Schemes are reviewed and amended periodically, so availability, amounts, deadlines and eligibility criteria may have changed since this page was last verified. Always confirm current details on the official Housing Authority scheme page before applying or making any decision.