Rent portal accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for the South Tyneside Council Housing Services Rent Portal

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the https://portal.southtynesidehomes.org.uk domain.

This website is run by South Tyneside Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings 
  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen 
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software 
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software 
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver) 

We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. 

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

  • some elements do not meet the minimum colour contrast ratio threshold
  • on the 'tenancy details' and 'tenancy statement' pages, you can't navigate to the rows in the table to select a tenancy via a keyboard
  • links are not distinguishable without relying on colour
  • on the change username page, form elements do not have labels
  • in mobile view, the main menu button in the header does not have discernible text
  • on the update my details page, select elements do not have an accessible name

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements,  

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille: 

In your message, include:

  • the web address (URL) of the content
  • your email address and name
  • the format you need - for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD

We'll consider your request and get back to you in 14 working days.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

South Tyneside Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Links must be distinguishable without relying on colour

Links are not distinguishable without relying on colour. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1: Use of colour.

Link text

Links use 'click here' or 'link'. Links cannot be identified from their link text; this stops users from understanding the purpose of each link in the content. This does not follow best practice.

Form elements must have labels

On the change username page, form elements do not have labels. Elements must have label text to make sure it makes sense to someone listening with a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value.

Buttons must have discernible text

In mobile view, the main menu button in the header does not have discernible text that clearly describes the destination, purpose, function, or action for screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value.

Select elements do not have an accessible name

On the update my details page, select elements do not have an accessible name. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.4: Resize Text.

Elements do not meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds

On the 'Add new contact details' page, the colour contrast is insufficient on the sentence 'Set as main contact by checking the box below and clicking save.'

On the landing page once logged in, the colour contrast is insufficient on the 'My Details' link when the link is hovered over, or navigated to via a keyboard.

This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum).

Navigating using a keyboard

On the 'tenancy details' and 'tenancy statement' pages, you can't navigate to the rows in the table to select a tenancy via a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard.

When we plan to fix these issues

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed. 

We are making sure any new content or digital services we build meet accessibility standards. 

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and non-HTML documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.   

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 26 September 2024.

This website was last tested on 26 September 2024. The test was carried out by South Tyneside Council.

We tested a sample of pages, including the following templates:

  • Homepage
  • Content pages
  • Properties search page
  • Login page

We carried out both manual checks, and automated tests using the axe accessibility checker.