An accommodation changes a rule, policy, practice or service; a modification physically changes the premises. Both concern disability-related access, but naming the request correctly is only the first step. The request must be considered in its circumstances, including necessity and reasonableness.

Worked example: A resident's disability makes the building's standard printed renewal notices inaccessible. The resident asks management to supply the notices in a usable electronic format. That changes how management provides a service, so analyze it as an accommodation. The same resident then requests permission to replace a bathroom doorway with a wider opening for wheelchair access. That changes the building, so analyze it as a modification. One resident can need both; the categories are not competing diagnoses.

The HUD/DOJ accommodation statement explains the policy-and-service category. The separate modification statement explains structural changes and payment distinctions.

Who pays? Under the Fair Housing Act's ordinary modification framework, the person requesting the modification generally bears its cost. Do not extend that shortcut to every housing program: federally assisted housing can trigger Section 504 duties requiring the provider to make and pay for qualifying structural changes, subject to applicable limitations. Accommodations have a different cost analysis; a provider cannot simply label every necessary service change the resident's expense.

Pitfall: Reasonable does not mean every requested arrangement is automatically required, and a physical change is not automatically forbidden because other residents cannot request it. Identify the disability-related need, proposed change and governing housing rules. An actual request deserves individualized assessment, not an exam mnemonic used as a denial policy.

Continue with the Chapter 8 guide and Chapter 8 practice.