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 the needs of some assistive technology users - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.1.1
- some headings are not consistent (it's best practice for a page or at least one of its frames to contain a level-one heading), therefore content structure may be hard for screen-readers to interpret - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1
- some (best practice) coding 'landmarks' are missing, therefore content structure may be hard for screen-readers to interpret, as content outside structural sections can be difficult to find or have unclear purpose - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.3.1
- some links rely on colour alone to be distinguishable from text, meaning users with sight loss or problems perceiving colour may not be able to identify them within the content - this relates to success criterion (A) 1.4.1
- some instances of inappropriate colour contrast exist, including some when focused using the keyboard, in form-field placeholder text, content links, and navigation bars, meaning reduced readability for people with moderately low vision (if not using contrast-enhancing assistive technology) - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.3
- in some cases when the page is zoomed above 200% and the layout moves responsively, the new location of some elements means they are over-lapped by others and the interface or functionality becomes hard to read or interact with - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.4
- at 400% some menu items are not responding appropriately, and become invisible owing to how they're coded to be responsive in relation to their percentage within the viewport, meaning users with low vision will not have the same link options available to them - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.10
- at 400% zoom the screen does not reflow correctly, and the screen is obscured by the 'header banner', meaning content is not be visible to the user - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.10
- some form controls do not contrast sufficiently with their surroundings, meaning some people cannot see them and are unable to complete the form with ease - this relates to success criterion (AA) 1.4.11
- the carousel image on the main screen cannot be paused, stopped or hidden, which may be distracting for some users or problematic for those using screen readers - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.2.2
- there is no means to allow people who navigate sequentially through content, more direct access to the primary content of each page (no mechanism to bypass repeated blocks of navigation code) - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.1
- some controls are not correctly identified (links don't have discernible text or contain only non-text content), so assistive technologies may be unable to operate properly - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.4
- some controls use different prompts to link to the same destination, which may be confusing for users of assistive technologies - this relates to success criterion (A) 2.4.4
- some links with the same name may not have the same purpose, which could mean users find it hard to understand the destination of links or become confused when navigating - this relates to success criterion (AA) 3.2.4
- in some cases when the page is zoomed above 200% over-lapping elements mean the focus within the menus disappears behind other elements, functionality and menus are obscured or almost all of the page is covered making it hard for users to navigate and interact with the page - this relates to success criterion (AA) 2.4.11
- some interactive components are not sufficiently spaced, meaning some people with physical impairments cannot interact with them comfortably or with ease - this relates to success criterion (AA) 2.5.8
- in some cases the predominant language on a page is not indicated, meaning people using assistive technology may get information in the incorrect language - this relates to success criterion (A) 3.1.1
- not all forms have a submit button, meaning content may not behave in a predictable way when a control is activated, which is especially important to people with disabilities where changes in context can be confusing for those who do not easily perceive a change or are easily distracted by changes - this relates to success criterion (A) 3.1.1
- some HTML elements are not correctly identified (multiple elements are referenced with ARIA with the same ID attribute), so assistive technologies may be unable to operate properly - this relates to success criterion (A) 4.1.1
- some form fields do not have labels which help to describe their expected input, meaning users of assistive technologies may find it more difficult to complete a form, and without such labels there's less clickable area to helps users with limited motor control, and some people with cognitive disabilities may not understand the input's purpose - this relates to success criterion (A) 4.1.2 and (AA) 1.3.5
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 2 October 2025, by our Web Services Team.
This system was tested using a mixture of manual checks and automated tests in Silktide, Google Chrome web browser extension ‘AXE’, and Deque Axe, during July 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.