In disability accommodation, what is the duty described by human rights law?

• A. The duty to accommodate up to the point of undue hardship
• B. The duty to provide free housing to all disabled tenants
• C. The duty to accommodate regardless of cost
• D. The duty to relocate a tenant with disability

Answer: (A)

Disability accommodation is about making reasonable changes so a person with a disability can access and use housing on an equal basis, but there is an important limit: the duty to accommodate goes only up to the point of undue hardship. In practice, landlords must adjust rules, policies, or physical features to help the tenant live in the unit—things like modifications to the unit or reasonable policy tweaks, such as permitting a service animal or allowing certain accommodations for access. However, if making the change would cause undue hardship—for example, excessive cost, serious safety issues, or substantial disruption to other tenants—the obligation does not require going beyond that point. The assessment is case-specific and considers factors like cost, availability of funding, impact on health and safety, and effect on others.

This isn’t a mandate to provide free housing, nor an unlimited obligation to accommodate regardless of cost. It also isn’t a default requirement to relocate a tenant; relocation can be a remedy in certain circumstances, but the general duty is to accommodate up to undue hardship.