This statement should be read in relation to our main accessibility statement.
This statement applies to part of our online services available via our website - our 'Open Housing' portal which gives council tenants and leaseholders, those applying for a council home, people who are homeless, and contractors supporting our work, access housing services online; the functionality is provided by MRI Software.
We know some parts of this system are not fully accessible, see Technical information about this system's accessibility.
Feedback and reporting accessibility problems
Get more information about:
Technical information about this system’s accessibility
We are committed to making our online services accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations, 2018.
Compliance status
This part of our website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); non-compliances are listed.
Non-compliances and non-accessible content
Currently:
- some images do not have appropriate alternative text, so information may not be available in a way that matches different needs - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.1.1
- the logo has a title attribute; this provides an inconsistent experience for users of assistive technology as some assistive technologies may read it whilst others will ignore it completely - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.1.1
- some pages have a missing first-level heading; this breaks the logical structure of the page for screen readers therefore making pages hard to navigate and obstructing keyboard shortcuts that rely on heading outlines - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1
- some fieldsets have a missing legend; this breaks the semantic grouping of form controls leaving screen reader users without crucial context therefore leading to confusion about what the group of fields is for - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1 and (A) 3.3.2
- some lists are not properly structured; when content elements other than list items are contained within a set of list elements, screen readers cannot inform the listener that they are listening to items within a list - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1
- some tables have been included purely for layout purposes and so there are possible captions needed; this fails WCAG as content needs to use the appropriate semantic markup so that screen readers and other assistive technologies can interpret the table’s purpose and navigate its content meaningfully - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1
- some tables have empty headers; this breaks the semantic structure of the page and can be confusing for users of assistive technologies as it prevents these users from understanding the table context as they navigate cell-by-cell - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1 and (AA) 2.4.6
- a layout table is used; this misuses semantic HTML for visual presentation which is confusing for users of assistive technologies such as screen readers - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.2
- some pages do not have a heading structure; a heading structure is essential for users of screen readers to navigate the page and so this means that those who use screen readers must listen to all content sequentially, making navigation difficult - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1 and (AA) 2.4.6
- some instances of inappropriate colour contrast exist, meaning potential reduced readability if you have low vision (if not using contrast-enhancing assistive technology) - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.3
- on some pages there is very small text; this poses a readability challenge for people with visual impairments - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.4, (AA) 1.4.3, (AA) 1.4.10 and (AA) 1.4.12
- at 400% some items are not responding appropriately such as tabular information or the menu icon; they do not reflow correctly, meaning users with low vision will not have the same options available to them - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.10
- some links cannot be reached by keyboard, so not all information can be reached by users who require a keyboard to operate the interface - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.1.1
- there are some instances of device-dependent events; these lock out users who can’t use specific input devices for essential functions - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.1.1
- some buttons are empty; this means that the purpose of the button cannot be determined from the link text alone, this means that people with visual disabilities will not be able to determine the purpose of the button by exploring the button’s context - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.4
- some links are redundant; this creates a confusing and cluttered experience for keyboard and screen reader users - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.4
- some links contain suspicious link text; these links lack context for users, especially those who rely on links for navigation and this makes the destination unclear and difficult to navigate without the surrounding text - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.4
- some of the ARIA code used needs to be manually checked; this is essential as it might misrepresent the user interface to assistive technologies, making the user experience confusing for people with disabilities - this relates to success criterion (A) 4.1.2, (A) 2.5.3 and (A) 2.1.1
- there are some orphaned form labels; this means the form labels don’t provide the essential information for users of assistive technologies which would allow them to understand form fields and can therefore lead to confusion - this relates to success criterion (A) 4.1.2
- some forms have missing labels; this makes forms unusable for people relying on assistive technologies as they will struggle to understand the field’s purpose without these labels - this relates to success criterion (A) 4.1.2 and (A) 3.3.2
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We have identified the areas of this system that need to be addressed in order to meet accessibility standards; we're working with our suppliers to rectify known issues as soon as possible.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This accessibility statement was initially prepared on 21 January 2022; it was last reviewed on 16 December 2025, by our Web Services Team.
This system was tested using a mixture of manual checks and automated tests in Google Chrome web browser extension ‘AXE’ and WAVE, during December 2025. Tests were carried out by Government Digital Services (GDS) and by our Web Services Team. A sample of user journeys within the system were checked against the WCAG 2.2 guidelines; the results of the sample checks are indicative of the accessibility status across the wider system.
Further accessibility fixes to address non-accessible aspects of this system are expected by 30 December 2026.