Property management and landlords
Accessibility compliance for Manitoba property managers and landlords: listings, rental applications, maintenance requests and tenant portals.
For many renters, a property manager's website is the only way into a building. They browse listings, compare floor plans, check where a building is, apply online and, once they move in, submit maintenance requests and read notices through a tenant portal. If any of those steps cannot be completed with a keyboard, a screen reader or a magnified screen, a prospective tenant may give up on the unit, and an existing tenant may be unable to report a leak or read a notice about a water shut-off.
About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). Renters with disabilities often look specifically for information about elevators, step-free entrances and accessible units, so the details they need most are frequently the ones buried in photos or PDFs.
Where websites in this sector usually fail
The patterns below come up often on rental and property management websites. They are typical issues, not findings about any particular business.
| Criterion | Issue | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 (opens in a new tab) | Unit and building photos, floor plans and amenity icons with no alternative text, or text that only repeats the file name | Listing pages, photo galleries |
| 2.1.1 (opens in a new tab) | Photo sliders and listing filters that only work with a mouse or touch | Listing search and detail pages |
| 2.1.2 (opens in a new tab) | Keyboard focus that becomes stuck inside an embedded map | Location and "find a building" pages |
| 1.3.1 (opens in a new tab) | Form fields that rely on placeholder text instead of programmatic labels | Rental applications, maintenance request forms |
| 3.3.1 (opens in a new tab) | Errors shown only as a colour change, with no text explaining what needs fixing | Rental applications, tenant portal sign-in |
| 2.2.1 (opens in a new tab) | Application sessions that time out without warning or a way to extend | Multi-step rental applications |
| 4.1.2 (opens in a new tab) | Custom drop-downs and checkboxes with no accessible name or state | Maintenance categories, "permission to enter" choices |
| 1.4.3 (opens in a new tab) | Light grey text on white below 4.5:1 contrast | Rent, availability dates, footer contact details |
| 1.4.10 (opens in a new tab) | Listing tables and portal screens that require sideways scrolling at 320 CSS px | Unit availability tables, tenant dashboards |
What the regulation requires
Under the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation, Man. Reg. 47/2022, organizations with one or more employees in Manitoba have been covered since May 1, 2025. Web content must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA if it was published on or after that date or is needed to access the organization's goods or services (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)). Rental listings, applications and maintenance forms are a direct route to a property manager's services, so they are likely to fall within that requirement.
A tenant portal that is published or significantly updated after the applicable date is also addressed as a web application (s. 8(1) (opens in a new tab)). Where a portal is supplied by a software vendor and you have no direct control over it, the exceptions in s. 7(2) (opens in a new tab) may be relevant, but they are narrow, and tenants still need another workable way to pay rent, submit requests and receive notices.
Three further sections have practical effects for landlords:
- Notice of accessible formats (s. 5 (opens in a new tab)). Tenants and applicants should know they can ask for leases, building notices and rules in a format that works for them, such as large print or an accessible electronic file.
- Feedback process (s. 9 (opens in a new tab)). There should be an accessible way to report barriers, for example a form, an email address and a phone number.
- Training (s. 4 (opens in a new tab)). Leasing staff, the person who updates listings and whoever chooses portal or listing software should receive training as soon as reasonably practicable. Large employers must also document measures and policies (s. 3(2) (opens in a new tab)) and a training policy (s. 4(4) (opens in a new tab)).
PDF leases, notices of rent increase and building rules deserve particular attention. A scanned PDF is an image to a screen reader. If a tenant needs the document to rent or live in the unit, an accessible version should be available.
What we test first
- Searching and filtering available units, including accessibility features
- Viewing a listing's photos, floor plan, rent and location
- Completing and submitting a rental application
- Submitting a maintenance request and receiving confirmation
- Signing in to the tenant portal and reading notices or statements
- Opening lease documents and building notices
Each journey is tested with keyboard only, NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, text resized to 200% and content reflowed at 320 CSS px, in addition to automated scans. See our method.
Fixing without a redesign
Most of these issues can be repaired with the least visible change. Labels are connected to form fields, alternative text is written for photos and floor plans, sliders are made operable by keyboard, and contrast is adjusted by a shade rather than a new palette. Your listings still look like yours. We never install overlay widgets, and if anything we repaired is later found not to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, we correct it at no charge.
Read about our services, see a sample report, or contact us for a fixed written quote after an audit. You can also call (431) 816-6210 or email [email protected].
Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Next step
Find out where your website stands.
Book a 20-minute consultation. We review your website with you, explain what applies to your organization, and follow up with a fixed written quote.