RE21RC25: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

A description of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Course Objective: This course is designed to give Massachusetts real estate licensees a foundational understanding of how disability rights laws—including the ADA, Fair Housing Act, and M.G.L. c. 151B—impact residential and commercial real estate practice. The course will also address practical scenarios involving listings, rentals, accessibility, reasonable accommodations, and agent responsibilities to help licensees navigate their duties in compliance with civil rights laws.

Introduction – Key Terminology Update

Note: While the Fair Housing Act still uses "handicap" in statutory language, the term "disability" is now preferred by HUD and other federal agencies.

1. Fair Housing Rights of Individuals with Disabilities
   1. Three essential concepts
      1. Definitions:
         1. 3-part definition of "Individual with a disability"
         2. "qualified individual With a disability"
         3. Service Animals vs. Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
      2. Reasonable Accommodation
      3. ADA Compliance with Accessibility
   2. State Law - Chapter 151 B
      1. Who is protected?
      2. Who is covered?
      3. What property is covered?
      4. Substantive Provisions of Chapter 151 B
         1. unlawful to deny, withhold accommodations because of disability, or to discriminate in terms, conditions or privileges based upon disability, s. 4, para. 6:
         2. refusal to permit accommodations at person's expense, or at own expense if sufficiently large entity, s. 4, para. 7A(l);
         3. refusal to make accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services, s. 4, para. 7A(2);
         4. failure to include "basic access" in multi-family dwellings built after March, 1991; five percent wheelchair accessible and two percent communication accessible, 804 C.M.R. s. 2.03 (5).
      5. Enforcement
         1. administratively through the MCAD, and/or
            1. civil action in Superior Court
               1. Scope of Relief before the MCAD

         2. Federal Law - Title VIII, 42 U.S.C., s. 3604

            1. Who is protected?
            2. Substantive provisions
               1. unlawful for person or entity engaged in residential real estate transactions to discriminate on the basis of "handicap", 42 U.S.C.,
               2. unlawful to not permit reasonable accommodation at person's expense, 24 C.F.R, s. 100.20' );
               3. unlawful to fail to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies. or services, 24 C.F.R. 100.204 (a);
               4. multi-family dwellings designed for first occupancy after March, 1991, must be designed and constructed in manner that enhances accessibility for IWDs, 24 C. F.R., s. 100.205;
            3. Enforcement
               1. Administrative complaint with HUD
               2. Civil Suit. United States District Court
            4. Relief

            s. 3605 (a);

         3. Scope of Permissible Inquiries as to the Existence or Nature of a Disability
2. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C., s. 12181.
   1. Coverage of "Public accommodations." and "Commercial Facilities"
   2. Substantive Provisions
      1. General non-discrimination requirements, 28 C.F.R., s. 36.201 (2)
      2. Physical Access, 28 C.F.R., ss. 36.304 and 36.401
         1. "new construction" -- ADA Standards for Accessible Design (The "2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design" replaced ADAAG)
         2. "existing facilities"
         3. liability/obligations: landlord-tenant
      3. Communication Access. 28 C.F.R., s. 36.303
   3. Enforcement
   4. Relief
3. Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12111 et seq.
   1. Coverage
   2. Who is Protected
      1. “Qualified individuals with a disability”
      2. Applicants and employees
   3. Substantive Provisions
      1. Unlawful to discriminate in job application procedures, hiring, advancement, compensation, training, or other terms of employment
      2. Requires reasonable accommodations (unless it causes undue hardship)
         1. Prohibits disability-related inquiries and medical exams before a job offer
         2. Enforcement
            1. Handled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
            2. May be enforced through administrative complaints or civil action
         3. Relief
4. Practical Applications and Trends
   1. Examples of cases
      1. Moretala v. Boston Housing Authority, 99 Mass. App. Ct. 1 (2020)
      2. United States v. City of Jacksonville, No. 3:16-cv-01374 (M.D. Fla. 2017)
   2. Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB)
      1. State-level accessibility requirements governed by the Architectural Access Board (AAB) under 521 CMR.
      2. Applies to new construction and renovations of public buildings and some multifamily housing
      3. May be more stringent than federal ADA rules—whichever is more protective controls
   3. Handling Problem Situations
      1. Broker's liability for actions of salesmen
      2. Agent's liability if working in office, with discriminatory listings
      3. Handling racial violence/intimidation
      4. Responding to information that client may have discriminatory preferences
      5. Lead paint law and discriminatory practices against families with children (duty to disclose all available units) G.L. c. III, ss. 189-199B

Related Course: RE115RC24: Assistance Animals in Real Estate

ADA Resources and Publications

• Non Discriminatory--Real Estate Practices: The Responsibilities of Real Estate Brokers and Property Owners Under The-Fair Housing Laws.
• Massachusetts Association of Realtors' - Fair Housing Chart
• Court decisions: Devita v. Ferlisi and Shapiro v. Cadman Towers
• Fair Housing Rights of Individuals With Disabilities Physical Access - Chart
• Architectural Access Board: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/architectural-access-board