{"id":22982,"date":"2023-11-30T16:09:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T16:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=22982"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:09:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T16:09:20","slug":"ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/","title":{"rendered":"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A federal appeals court recently declared that websites are not public accommodations, but these best practices will help you avoid becoming the target of a shakedown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enacted more than 30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act has become synonymous with accessibility. While the act\u2019s accessibility requirements indisputably apply to physical spaces, its application in digital spaces has been debated for well over a decade. That\u2019s because the ADA is silent on how\u2014or even if\u2014its provisions apply to websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite calls for action, the Justice Department has failed to act to resolve the issue, leaving consumers and businesses to turn to the courts for answers, and law firms to exploit the confusion by sending waves of demand letters to businesses around the country. Just recently, however, businesses celebrated a major victory in an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in which the court declared that websites are not places of public accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 7, the 11th Circuit issued its long-awaited decision in Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.<\/em>, holding that websites are not places of public accommodation under Title III of the ADA. While this decision comes as a major victory for businesses that have long struggled with whether and how ADA obligations apply to websites, the issue of digital accessibility will remain a target of legal action until either the Justice Department acts or the U.S. Supreme Court settles the issue once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, there are new waves of demand letters exploiting this perceived uncertainty by asserting baseless claims of noncompliance with not only Title III of the ADA but also the Fair Housing Act and similar state laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the ADA claims may be up for debate, the fair housing claims are meritless and frivolous, lacking any regulatory or legal support. There are no provisions in the federal Fair Housing Act that require real estate brokers to code their website to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. And no court has ever concluded that the act requires a real estate broker to maintain an accessible website or that a real estate professional has a more general obligation to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities. These unsupported claims are merely self-serving attempts to extract money in the form of attorney\u2019s fees and other costs from real estate professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Best Practices<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You can reduce your risk of being the target of one of these website accessibility shakedowns by following these best practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Assess your website\u2019s current accessibility and take preemptive steps to address and enhance any accessibility issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Speak to your website provider about what measures they are taking to address your website\u2019s accessibility and be sure to address these issues in your contract with the provider.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Consider hiring a website accessibility expert to develop a plan to boost your website\u2019s accessibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Include an accessibility statement on your website that provides contact information where a user can report difficulties navigating the website or can find help in accessing information or services.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If, despite your best efforts, you find yourself on the receiving end of one of these \u201cransom\u201d demand letters, start by immediately contacting your insurance carrier and obtaining legal counsel to assess the best next steps. In addition, be sure to check out NAR\u2019s resources<\/a> for more information about the ADA and website accessibility. Use these tips and resources to help ensure you successfully manage and mitigate your exposure to ADA website accessibility claims now and in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a9National Association of REALTORS\u00ae
    Reprinted with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A federal appeals court recently declared that websites are not public accommodations, but these best practices will help you avoid becoming the target of a shakedown. Enacted more than 30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act has become synonymous with accessibility. While the act\u2019s accessibility requirements indisputably apply to physical spaces, its application in … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8],"tags":[5,32,4,9],"class_list":["post-22982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-real-estate-tips","tag-anthony-didonato","tag-news","tag-real-estate","tag-tips","item-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\nADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"headline\":\"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-30T16:09:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":603,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"keywords\":[\"Anthony DiDonato\",\"News\",\"Real Estate\",\"tips\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Real Estate Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/\",\"name\":\"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-30T16:09:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\",\"description\":\"Properties and Real Estate for Sale\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\"},\"description\":\"For all of your Real Estate needs, place yourself in the competent hands of a career Realtor who is a Philadelphia native and Delaware County resident. Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. He is known for finding that \u201cperfect\u201d property in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania for his buyers and helping his sellers prepare their properties so they sell quickly and efficiently. When it comes time to negotiate the terms of a contract, Anthony DiDonato has the knowledge, experience, and professionalism applied to meeting \u2013 or exceeding \u2013 his clients\u2019 expectations. His service to his clients is second to none. His honesty and integrity have been his claim to fame. For Superior Real Estate Representation in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\u2026 call Anthony DiDonato.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\"],\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908"},"headline":"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros","datePublished":"2023-11-30T16:09:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/"},"wordCount":603,"publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908"},"keywords":["Anthony DiDonato","News","Real Estate","tips"],"articleSection":["News","Real Estate Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/","url":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/","name":"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-11-30T16:09:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/ada-demand-letters-a-vexing-reality-for-real-estate-pros\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ADA Demand Letters: A Vexing Reality for Real Estate Pros"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/","name":"Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania","description":"Properties and Real Estate for Sale","publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anthony-110x150.jpg","url":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anthony-110x150.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anthony-110x150.jpg","caption":"admin"},"logo":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/anthony-110x150.jpg"},"description":"For all of your Real Estate needs, place yourself in the competent hands of a career Realtor who is a Philadelphia native and Delaware County resident. Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. He is known for finding that \u201cperfect\u201d property in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania for his buyers and helping his sellers prepare their properties so they sell quickly and efficiently. When it comes time to negotiate the terms of a contract, Anthony DiDonato has the knowledge, experience, and professionalism applied to meeting \u2013 or exceeding \u2013 his clients\u2019 expectations. His service to his clients is second to none. His honesty and integrity have been his claim to fame. For Superior Real Estate Representation in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\u2026 call Anthony DiDonato.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net"],"url":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}