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Reading's disability housing register is an online database of all the homes in the town adapted for physical disabilities and details of disabled people looking to move.

In the past, applicants were sometimes given homes with adaptations they didn't need. By contrast, the new system works on a "best-match" basis to assess how the facilities suit an applicant's needs.

The database records 400 modified properties belonging to Reading council and local housing associations. Housing organisations can log on and update their property details; service users can change their details online or it can be done for them by the housing providers.

When people first apply, we do a home visit and add their details to the database. We record their contact information and categorise the level of their disability; from A, which would be a full-time wheelchair user, to G, which could be somebody with a medical problem that requires space, such as needing oxygen all the time. We also note whether they have a dog and need a garden, if they want to be in a certain area or if they need a support worker on call.

When we are told about a new property, we do a people match to find who is best suited to the place. Otherwise, housing providers can have a look and match people with their properties. But house-seekers can specify that only I should be able to view their information if they want to keep their contact details confidential.

The set-up costs were covered by £70,000 from the Treasury's Invest To Save Money fund, which took care of the launch in May 2003 and will also support two years of development. And the project has saved money – about £140,000 in the cost of altering properties since last July – by not having to remove adaptations and by making better use of existing set-ups.

We currently have about 63 people waiting for homes, though the register is just one option. We may still need to make new adaptations to a property, it's just that the register makes it easier to find out if we already have something suitable.

We are talking to other councils in the South-east about expanding the scheme.