In 2024, over 4,600 ADA website lawsuits were filed in the United States. Property management companies are a primary target. Here is everything you need to know about website accessibility, fair housing language, and staying compliant.
The legal landscape
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that websites be accessible to people with disabilities. The Fair Housing Act adds requirements for non-discriminatory language in all marketing materials. Combined, these laws affect every page on your site. Property management is in the top 5 most targeted industries for ADA lawsuits.
Compliance by the numbers
4,600+
ADA website lawsuits filed in 2024
Top 5
most targeted industries: real estate
$5-50K
average settlement amount
What ADA compliance actually means
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard courts reference. It covers four areas: perceivable (can users see and hear your content), operable (can users navigate with a keyboard), understandable (is your content clear), and robust (does it work with assistive technology). For property managers, the most common failures are missing alt text on property photos, insufficient color contrast, non-keyboard-navigable forms, and inaccessible PDFs.
Fair housing language matters
HUD guidelines require that housing advertising not indicate preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. Phrases like "perfect for young professionals" or "quiet neighborhood" can be interpreted as discriminatory. The safest approach is to describe features, not people.
Fair housing language guide
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| "Perfect for young professionals" | "Close to business district and transit" |
| "Quiet neighborhood" | "Tree-lined residential street" |
| "Walking distance to schools" | "Near top-rated schools" |
| "No pets" | "Pet policy: breed restrictions apply" |
The 6-step compliance checklist
Run an automated WCAG audit
Tools like WAVE and axe DevTools catch 30-40% of issues instantly. Run both tools on every page of your site.
Fix alt text on every image
Describe what the image shows, not what you want users to feel. "Two-bedroom apartment living room with hardwood floors" is good. "Stunning luxury living" is not.
Ensure keyboard navigation
All forms and buttons must work with keyboard navigation alone. No mouse required. Test every form field.
Check color contrast
Text should have at least 4.5:1 contrast against its background. Use a contrast checker tool on all text elements.
Review marketing copy
Replace preference language with feature descriptions. Describe the property, not the ideal resident.
Test with a screen reader
NVDA (free) or JAWS (paid) will show you what blind users experience. Listen to your entire homepage.
The bottom line
Compliance is not optional. It is a legal requirement and a competitive advantage. An accessible website reaches more people, ranks higher in search, and protects you from expensive lawsuits. The cost of compliance is a fraction of the cost of a single lawsuit. Invest now. Sleep better later.
