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RGAA for real estate: requirements, priorities, and audit checklist

RGAA compliance for real estate sites requires applying Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité to the specific failure points typical of the real estate industry — including listing photo galleries without alt text, mortgage calculators without keyboard control, inaccessible pdf disclosures and contracts.

AccessivePath Research · IAAP-aligned research team3 min readPublished · Updated

Does RGAA apply to real estate sites?

France's Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité (RGAA) is the French government's national web accessibility methodology, currently at version 4.1, that operationalises EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA with 106 control tests and is mandatory for public-sector and (since the EAA transposition) large-private-sector French websites.

Real Estate accessibility — the lay of the land

Real estate combines ADA, Fair Housing Act (FHA), and state-level requirements. Listing photo galleries, search filters, mortgage calculators, and inaccessible PDFs (disclosures, contracts) are the standard failure points. Multi-Listing Service (MLS) participants inherit obligations through MLS rules.

Where RGAA bites hardest in real estate sites

• Listing photo galleries without alt text

• Mortgage calculators without keyboard control

• Inaccessible PDF disclosures and contracts

• Map-based search without alternative

• Inaccessible virtual tour platforms

Remediation priorities

• Property listing and search

• Photo galleries and virtual tours

• Disclosure and contract PDFs

• Mortgage calculators and application flows

• Agent contact forms

How to comply with RGAA on a Real Estate site

1. Audit per RGAA 4.1 control list: 106 control tests across WCAG 2.1 AA.

2. Publish conformance statement: Mandatory; templated by DINUM.

3. Multi-year plan + annual schedule: Required for public sector.

Sources

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.

  • Does RGAA apply to real estate websites?

    France's Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité (RGAA) is the French government's national web accessibility methodology, currently at version 4.1, that operationalises EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA with 106 control tests and is mandatory for public-sector and (since the EAA transposition) large-private-sector French websites.

  • What are the most common RGAA failures in real estate sites?

    Listing photo galleries without alt text Mortgage calculators without keyboard control Inaccessible PDF disclosures and contracts

  • What conformance level should a real estate site target?

    WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the consensus target for legal compliance and the level referenced by virtually every national accessibility law.

  • Does Fair Housing Act cover website accessibility?

    HUD and DOJ have stated that the Fair Housing Act prohibits accessibility-related discrimination in housing-related online services and advertising, in addition to physical accessibility. Lawsuits citing both FHA and ADA Title III are increasingly common.

  • Are MLS-feed property photos required to have alt text?

    Best practice is yes — and many MLS rules now require structured listing content that supports accessibility. The receiving site is responsible for rendering accessibly regardless of feed format.

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