The Accessible Apartment Checklist for Your Next Lease
Updated: 2 days ago
An accessible apartment is a unit and building built so that entry, movement, and daily tasks work with a wheelchair, walker, or other mobility aid. This accessible apartment checklist covers the features to measure on a tour, the federal design rules behind them, and how accommodation and modification requests work. Bring a tape measure and your phone camera, and use it at any community you visit.
What Makes an Apartment Accessible Under Federal Law?
Under the Fair Housing Act, apartment buildings with four or more units first occupied after March 13, 1991 must meet seven design requirements. In buildings with an elevator, every unit is covered. In buildings without one, the ground-floor units are covered, according to a joint statement from HUD and the Department of Justice.
The seven requirements, as listed in that statement, are:
An accessible building entrance on an accessible route
Accessible and usable public and common use areas
Usable doors
An accessible route into and through the unit
Light switches, outlets, thermostats, and other controls in accessible locations
Reinforced bathroom walls for grab bars installed later
Usable kitchens and bathrooms
These are minimum rules. The federal regulation at 24 CFR 100.205 requires walls that can hold grab bars later, for example, but not the grab bars themselves. A unit listed as accessible may go further, so check each feature in person.
Does the ADA Apply to Apartments?
For most private apartment units, the Fair Housing Act is the main federal accessibility law, not the ADA. According to the Department of Justice Guide to Disability Rights Laws, the ADA covers employment, public accommodations, and government services, while the Fair Housing Act covers private housing, including new multifamily construction.
That is why the popular ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities fits a leasing office or other public space but does not describe what an apartment unit must include.
Accessible Apartment Checklist: Parking, Entry, and Common Areas
Start your tour in the parking lot, because the route from your car to your front door is part of the apartment. Federal rules require an accessible entrance on an accessible route and usable common areas in covered buildings. Check each item below on the actual path you would use every day.
Accessible parking near the building entrance, and how spaces are assigned
A step-free route from parking to the building and to the unit door
Curb ramps where the route crosses a curb
Gate keypads, call boxes, and door buzzers mounted where they can be reached from a seated position
Mailboxes, trash areas, the leasing office, the pool, and the fitness center on the same accessible route
The floor level of the available unit, and whether the building has an elevator
Lighting along paths and at entry doors
Inside the Unit: Doors, Halls, and Controls
Inside the apartment, measure doors and halls first, since furniture placement depends on them. HUD's Fair Housing Act Design Manual calls for usable doors with a nominal 32-inch clear width. Its chapter on the accessible route through the unit uses a 36-inch minimum width for hallways and paths.
Door clear width: open each door fully and measure from the face of the door to the opposite stop.
Thresholds: look for low or flush thresholds at entry and patio or balcony doors.
Hall width and turns: check that the path from the entry to each bedroom, the bath, and the kitchen stays clear.
Controls: according to the Design Manual chapter on controls, switches and outlets can sit 15 to 48 inches above the floor where nothing blocks the reach, and thermostats should be at or below 48 inches.
Hardware: lever door handles and loop cabinet pulls are easier to use than round knobs, though they are not required.
Closets: note rod and shelf heights, and ask whether they can be lowered.
Checklist for Kitchens, Bathrooms, and Laundry
Kitchens and bathrooms are where measurements matter most. The Design Manual chapter on kitchens and bathrooms calls for a 30 by 48-inch clear floor space at each kitchen appliance and fixture and at least 40 inches between opposing counters, cabinets, appliances, and walls.
Kitchen
Clear floor space in front of the sink, range, refrigerator, and dishwasher
At least 40 inches between opposing counters and appliances
Range controls on the front or side instead of the back
Microwave height, and whether a lower counter or pull-out work surface is available
Bathroom
Shower type: "walk in shower" can mean a stall with a low curb or a roll-in shower with no curb, so ask which one and measure the curb
Grab bars already installed, or reinforced walls where they can be added
Space beside the toilet and in front of the sink
A handheld shower head, shower seat, and slip-resistant flooring
Laundry
In-unit washer and dryer location and the space in front of them
Control placement on the front or top of each machine
Feature | What to measure or check | Reference |
Doors | About 32 inches of clear width | HUD Design Manual, Requirement 3 |
Paths in the unit | About 36 inches wide | HUD Design Manual, Requirement 4 |
Controls | 15 to 48 inches above the floor | HUD Design Manual, Requirement 5 |
Bathroom walls | Reinforced for grab bars | 24 CFR 100.205 |
Kitchen | 30 by 48-inch floor space, 40 inches between counters | HUD Design Manual, Requirement 7 |
How Do Reasonable Accommodation and Modification Requests Work?
A reasonable accommodation is a change to a rule, policy, practice, or service. A reasonable modification is a physical change to the unit or common areas. Both are rights under the Fair Housing Act when the change is needed because of a disability, according to joint HUD and DOJ statements on accommodations and modifications.
Reasonable Accommodation | Reasonable Modification | |
What changes | A rule, policy, practice, or service | The physical unit or common areas |
Examples from HUD and DOJ | A parking space near the entrance, an assistance animal under a no pets rule, help filling out an application | Grab bars, a ramp, a wider doorway, lower kitchen cabinets |
Who pays | The housing provider may not charge an extra fee or deposit for it | Usually the resident, unless the property receives federal financial assistance |
Move-out terms | None | The provider may require interior changes to be restored, reasonable wear and tear excepted |
Here is how a request usually moves forward:
Make the request. HUD and DOJ say a request can be oral or written, but writing it down helps both sides.
Describe the change and the disability-related need for it.
Answer follow-up questions. If the disability and the need are obvious or already known, the provider may not ask for more information.
Get the decision and any conditions, such as restoration terms, in writing.
If a request is denied, you can file a complaint with HUD.
Assistance animals are an accommodation, not pets, so pet fees and pet limits do not apply to them in the same way.
Questions to Ask the Leasing Office
The fastest way to confirm a unit's features is to ask direct questions before you apply. Ask for answers in writing when a feature affects your decision.
Which available units are listed as accessible, and on which floor?
Is there an elevator or a ground-floor unit open for my move-in date?
What type of shower or tub does the unit have, and are grab bars installed?
How is accessible parking assigned?
How do I submit an accommodation or modification request, and who reviews it?
Can I tour the exact unit, not just a model?
What Accessible Floor Plans Does Lafayette Gardens List?
Lafayette Gardens lists one, two, and three-bedroom handicap floor plans marked "Wheelchair Accessible" and "Handrails." Features can vary from unit to unit, so the leasing team can walk you through the exact apartment and answer the questions on this checklist.
You can also read our equal housing statement and review the pet policy, which is separate from assistance animal requests.
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