accessibility Tag

Riser Recliner VAT Relief Explained: UK Eligibility Rules & HMRC Guidance

Riser Recliner VAT Relief Explained: UK Eligibility Rules & HMRC Guidance

Furniture in Fashion has set out how VAT relief on riser recliners actually works in the UK, and the headline point is that it is zero rating at the point of sale rather than a refund claimed back from HMRC. Three conditions must be satisfied together. The customer must be chronically sick or disabled as defined in HMRC's guidance on VAT reliefs for disabled and older people, published as VAT Notice 701/7. The goods must be for that person's personal or domestic use. The product itself must fall within the relieved categories, which cover goods designed solely for use by disabled people. Age alone does not qualify, and HMRC guidance addresses that directly. The customer completes a written eligibility declaration for the supplier rather than applying to HMRC, and no medical certificate is required as a condition of the relief. Repair, maintenance and installation of qualifying goods can also be zero rated....

The Bookcase Accessibility Report: Furnishing for Older UK Homes

The Bookcase Accessibility Report: Furnishing for Older UK Homes

Most bookcases assume a user who can reach above shoulder height and bend to the floor, an assumption that leaves only the middle third genuinely usable in many older British households, according to a new accessibility analysis from Furniture in Fashion. The report argues that accessible shelving is achieved through proportion rather than specialist products: a low wide bookcase places far more of its shelf length within the comfortable reach band of roughly 60cm to 150cm than a tall narrow unit of equal capacity, and it is significantly more stable. It sets out shelf positions against access characteristics and appropriate contents, covers spacing for paperbacks and hardbacks, and identifies stacking flat as the habit that most reduces retrievability. Further guidance addresses wall fixing, weight distribution, uneven floors in older properties, handle types for reduced grip strength and lighting the shelf faces rather than the room. Shelf depth of 25cm to 30cm is recommended to prevent hidden double rows....

What Is a Profiling Bed?

What Is a Profiling Bed?

A profiling bed divides the mattress platform into separate sections that raise and lower independently, and this guide explains how that works and when it is the right choice. We cover the difference between three and four section platforms, why the knee break matters as much as the back rest, and how overall height adjustment reduces strain for anyone providing care at the bedside. There is a clear comparison with domestic adjustable comfort beds, which look similar but are built for a different purpose, so you can judge whether care specification is genuinely needed. We also look at why profiling beds require mattresses designed to flex, how mattress depth affects the safe use of side rails, the extra clearance and power supply planning a home bedroom needs, and the furniture and lighting choices that stop the room feeling clinical....