A study conducted by the team here at Apotheca shows that 82% of multifamily websites are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, putting them at risk of lawsuits and legal action. Over 97% of the websites in the study are either not compliant, or at risk of non-compliance.

Apotheca’s study reviewed the homepages of hundreds of multifamily property websites from across the United States, and scanned the sites for common ADA compliance issues. “Many of the issues we found are common in other industries as well,” said Roy Bielewicz, principal at Apotheca. “Non-compliant sites are more difficult to read for people with vision impairments or disabilities, as well as website reader software. Further, they are challenging to navigate using keyboard commands for those with motor impairments.” All of these issues, he noted, are against ADA guidelines and can lead to lawsuits, in addition to limiting access for a significant portion of web users.

In 2018, the DOJ clarified that websites are considered places of public accommodation and should therefore comply with the ADA Title III. US courts refer to WCAG 2.1 AA as the accessibility standard. Since 2018, lawsuits related to ADA compliance have increased over 300%. 

Websites in the multifamily industry are particularly at risk of lawsuits, since they must also comply with fair housing and equal opportunity laws that also protect people with disabilities. 

“ADA compliance is something that many multifamily management companies have just recently become aware of,” said Bielewicz. “Unfortunately, some of them are becoming aware of just how serious this is because they’ve been the subject of lawsuits.

“An estimated 20% of the population has some form of disability,” Bielewicz said, “which means that the majority of multifamily sites are not as usable for this population as they could, and should be. This is a large audience segment that is not being effectively marketed to.”

The full study is available at : https://www.apothecamarketing.com/multifamily-ada-report