The deadline for the Ontario AODA accessibility compliance report is fast approaching! Here’s what you need to know before you file, and how to make sure your rental site is ready.
Year-end is already crowded for property management teams. Next year's budgets are due, renewals need attention, and fall lease-ups are still filling.
One more date belongs on that list: Ontario's accessibility compliance reports are due December 31, 2026.
The deadline isn't new. Reports under the AODA are filed every three years, which is exactly why it slips off the radar. Here's what's required, where your website comes in, and how to close the gaps before you file.
Employees in Ontario
Fewer than 20
File by Dec. 31, 2026?
Generally exempt
Other requirements
Other AODA obligations can still apply
Employees in Ontario
20 to 49
File by Dec. 31, 2026?
Yes
Other requirements
Meet the AODA standards that apply to you, including information and communications
Employees in Ontario
50 or more
File by Dec. 31, 2026?
Yes
Other requirements
Public websites and web content must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (required since January 1, 2021), plus a written multi-year accessibility plan
Whether you need to file, and what else is required, depends on how many employees you have. The report is a self-declaration, submitted online through Ontario's Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal.
It covers each AODA standard that applies to you, including information and communications. That's where your website sits.
Reporting is enforced by the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (ADO). Missing the deadline doesn't lead straight to a large fine, but it does start a process that escalates the longer it's ignored.
A notice
The ADO contacts you about the missing report.
A compliance order
You're formally required to file, and in some cases you'll face a modest administrative penalty. In past cases, these have landed in the hundreds to low thousands of dollars.
Escalating penalties
If notices go unaddressed, penalties can climb. The AODA sets maximums of $100,000 per day for corporations and $50,000 per day for certain directors or officers, who can be held personally liable in some cases. These are ceilings set by law, not routine outcomes.
The bigger risk: closer scrutiny
A missed or unsupported filing draws more attention, not less. It can prompt a closer look at whether you're actually compliant, including your website, staff training and accessibility policies.
The good news: most organizations can meet this deadline with some lead time, and starting now leaves plenty of it.
Start with a quick automated scan. accessiBe, which offers tools and services needed to ensure digital compliance, offers a free accessScan tool that reviews your site against WCAG and flags common issues, like missing alt text or low-contrast text.
Compliance is the reason to act now, but the bigger payoff is on the leasing side. Prospects browse floor plans, compare photos, book tours and start applications on your website, usually before anyone on your team hears from them.
With national purpose-built vacancy at 3.1% in 2025 and incentives showing up across listings, every lead counts. If a person using a screen reader can't get through your tour booking form, or someone with low vision can't read your pricing, that lead goes to the next building.
Missing alt text
Property and suite photos without alt text, so screen readers can't describe them
Hard-to-use forms
Tour scheduling and contact forms that can't be completed by keyboard, or that don't announce errors clearly
Low contrast
Light text over hero images that doesn't meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text
No captions
Virtual tour videos without captions
Carousels that won't stop
Auto-playing image carousels with no way to pause them
Your team can handle some fixes in-house, like writing alt text for new property photos and adding captions to virtual tour videos. But rental websites change constantly, with new listings, photos, pricing and promotions going up every week, and keeping every update accessible takes ongoing attention. That’s where accessiBe comes in.
accessiBe’s accessWidget works in two ways. Behind the scenes, it uses AI to scan your site and adjust it for assistive technology, like adding image descriptions for screen readers and improving keyboard navigation. It rescans regularly, so new listings and content are covered as they’re added.
For visitors, it adds an accessibility menu where they can tailor the site to their needs, with profiles for people who are blind or have low vision, cognitive disabilities, ADHD or seizure sensitivities, plus controls for colour and contrast, text size and spacing, and keyboard navigation.
For Rentsync clients, it’s also the simplest option: it works with the website you already have, our Customer Support team sets it up for you, and it’s an annual subscription that renews automatically, so you stay covered between reporting cycles.
Confirm whether you need to file. Check your Ontario employee count against the 20 and 50 thresholds.
Scan your website. accessiBe's free accessScan tool gives you a quick starting point.
Close the gaps. Start with content fixes like missing alt text and captions. To ensure total compliance, install accessiBe’s accessWidget on your website before the December 31 deadline. If you are a Rentsync client, you can request the addition of accessiBe directly through Customer Success.
Gather your documentation. Pull together your accessibility policies and, if you have 50 or more employees, your multi-year accessibility plan.
File your report. Submit it through the Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal before December 31, 2026.