Self-storage and moving company website accessibility: unit pickers, quotes, rentals and gate access

Self-storage and moving websites are mostly one task: pick a size, see a price, and book. That task usually runs through a unit-size picker, a facility map, a rental or quote form and a customer portal. Visitors who use a screen reader, keyboard, magnifier or voice control often get stuck at one of those steps and call a competitor instead. Here's what to check.

1. Unit size pickers and facility maps

Size pickers built from clickable pictures of boxes, or interactive facility maps, often can't be reached with the keyboard and announce nothing to a screen reader. Make each size a real button or radio option with its name in text, and describe what fits ("10 by 10 feet, about a one-bedroom apartment"). If you show a clickable site map, list the same units as text too. (WCAG 2.1.1, WCAG 4.1.2)

<fieldset>
  <legend>Choose a unit size</legend>
  <label><input type="radio" name="size" value="5x10"> 5 by 10 ft (fits a studio's contents)</label>
  <label><input type="radio" name="size" value="10x10"> 10 by 10 ft (fits a one-bedroom apartment)</label>
</fieldset>

2. Availability, prices and features as text

Don't show "sold out" or "only 2 left" only with a red or grey box, and don't bake web specials into a banner image. Put size, features (for example "climate controlled", "drive-up", "ground floor") and the monthly price in a simple table. (WCAG 1.4.1, WCAG 1.4.5, WCAG 1.3.1)

<table>
  <caption>Units available today (example values)</caption>
  <tr><th scope="col">Size</th><th scope="col">Features</th><th scope="col">Monthly</th><th scope="col">Status</th></tr>
  <tr><td>10 by 10 ft</td><td>Climate controlled, ground floor</td><td>$95</td><td>2 available</td></tr>
</table>

3. Online rentals, reservations and move-in forms

Rental and reservation forms need visible labels, autocomplete on name, email, phone and address fields, specific error messages, and no repeated entry of an address already given. If the checkout has a time limit to hold a unit, warn people and let them extend it. (WCAG 3.3.2, WCAG 1.3.5, WCAG 3.3.1, WCAG 3.3.7, WCAG 2.2.1)

<label for="move-in">Move-in date</label>
<input id="move-in" name="move_in" type="date" required aria-describedby="move-in-hint">
<p id="move-in-hint">You can change this later at no charge.</p>
<label for="phone">Mobile phone</label>
<input id="phone" name="phone" type="tel" autocomplete="tel">

See form error messages and checkout accessibility.

4. Moving quote forms and inventory lists

Moving quotes often ask for a room-by-room inventory with plus and minus buttons. Give those buttons names ("Add one sofa", "Remove one sofa"), announce the new count, and make them big enough to tap. Date pickers need a typed alternative, and multi-step quotes should keep answers if someone goes back. (WCAG 4.1.2, WCAG 2.5.8) See accessible contact forms.

5. Customer portals, autopay and gate codes

Tenant portals for paying rent, setting up autopay and viewing gate codes should let people use a password manager and paste, without a puzzle CAPTCHA as the only option. Gate-code and access-hour emails should be text, not an image. (WCAG 3.3.8) See login and CAPTCHA accessibility.

6. Location pages, hours and access details

Put the address, office hours, gate hours and phone number as text with a tel: link, not only in a map or footer image. Describe the facility factually (for example, "drive-up units, elevator to the second floor, carts at the entrance") rather than calling it "fully accessible". Chat and "reserve now" pop-ups must close with Escape and return focus. (WCAG 2.4.4, WCAG 2.4.3) See location pages and map embeds.

Common mistakes

• A unit-size picker that only works by clicking pictures.
• "Sold out" shown only by greying out a box.
• Web specials and prices baked into a banner image.
• Moving inventory plus and minus buttons read out as "button" with no name.
• A tenant portal login with a puzzle CAPTCHA and no other option.

A 15-minute check you can do today

1. Pick a unit size and start a reservation using only Tab, arrow keys, Space and Enter.
2. Zoom to 200% on a laptop and check the size table, prices and "Rent now" button still fit. (WCAG 1.4.10)
3. Leave one required field empty and read the error message.
4. Find your gate hours and phone number and check you can select them as text.

Our keyboard test and screen reader test walk you through it.

Many storage facilities use a website and rental widget from their management software vendor; send that vendor the questions to ask your web designer and ask what they'll fix in shared templates. Avoid relying on an overlay widget instead of real fixes; see overlays vs real fixes. Our scan is automated, so it finds only part of the barriers on this page and doesn't test rental widgets, quote steps or tenant portals behind a login. Related: contractors and home services, property management and apartment websites.

This is general technical guidance, not legal advice, and it doesn't certify compliance with the ADA or any law.

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This is general technical guidance, not legal advice, and it does not certify compliance with the ADA or any law.

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This guide is general technical information, not legal advice. Following it does not certify ADA or any legal compliance. Automated checks find only part of accessibility barriers.