guide
Sanity accessibility for real estate sites: setup, plugins, and audit checklist
Running an accessible Sanity site for real estate sites combines two layers of responsibility: Sanity's platform-level accessibility, and the real estate-specific compliance frameworks — Fair Housing Act, ADA Title III, WCAG 2.2 AA — that layer on top.
Why Sanity for real estate sites?
Sanity accessibility depends on Studio schema design (required alt text on image fields), Portable Text renderers in the consuming front-end, and editorial discipline — the platform itself is headless and accessibility is a function of how the consuming app maps Sanity content to semantic HTML.
Real Estate accessibility — the regulated reality
Real estate accessibility requires property listing sites, mortgage application portals, and brokerage dashboards to be usable by buyers, renters, and agents with disabilities — a Fair Housing Act requirement that DOJ and HUD enforce alongside ADA Title III, with the Fair Housing Act explicitly prohibiting accessibility-related discrimination in advertising and access.
Sanity accessibility challenges that hit real estate sites hardest
• Schema design without required alt text
• Portable Text renderers losing semantics
Real Estate pain points your Sanity site will likely have
• 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
Setup steps
1. Require alt text in image schema: Validation rules at schema level.
2. Audit Portable Text renderer: Map block types to semantic HTML.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Can a Sanity site be made ADA compliant for real estate sites?
Yes, provided the merchant or development team applies WCAG 2.2 AA at the source code and content level. No platform — including Sanity — guarantees compliance automatically.
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.
Is Sanity Studio accessible?
Sanity Studio targets WCAG 2.1 AA. Consuming-app accessibility is the larger consideration.
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