How to Complete and Submit a Section 504 Housing Accommodation Request

A Section 504 reasonable accommodation request form is the written request you give a federally funded housing provider — a Public Housing Authority, a Section 8 property, or another HUD-assisted program — asking them to change a rule, policy, or physical feature of your unit because of your disability. Federal law doesn’t require any particular form, and a letter or email works just as well, but most PHAs have their own version and using it keeps things organized. What matters is that the request is in writing, that it names the specific change you need, and that it connects that change to a disability-related need. Everything below covers what goes on the form, what to send with it, how to submit it, and what to do if you get a no.

What to Put on the Form

You don’t have to cite any law, name your diagnosis, or even use the phrase “reasonable accommodation.” Under the HUD/DOJ Joint Statement, a request only has to be clear enough that a reasonable person would understand you’re asking for an exception or change to a rule because of a disability.¹ A provider cannot refuse the request just because you didn’t use their preferred paperwork.

Whatever form you use, three pieces of information carry the request:

Your identifying details: full legal name, address and unit number, phone, email. This links the request to your tenant file.
The specific accommodation you need. Be concrete. Examples include an extra bedroom for medical equipment, permission for an assistance animal, grab bars in the bathroom, a transfer to a ground-floor unit, extra time to locate a voucher unit, an additional utility allowance, or an exception to a no-pet policy. Vague requests generate follow-up questions and delay.
The connection between your disability and the request. Explain the barrier and how the accommodation removes it. You do not need to name your diagnosis. Something like “My mobility impairment prevents me from using the bathtub safely, and a roll-in shower would let me bathe independently” covers both halves.

Some PHA forms are organized by accommodation category, with tailored questions under each — extra search time, adding a live-in aide, additional utility allowance, and so on. The Chicago Housing Authority’s form works this way.² Fill in the section that fits your situation and leave the others blank rather than forcing information into the wrong place.

The Verification Letter

If your disability isn’t obvious, the provider can ask for verification that you have a disability-related need for the accommodation. A physician, psychiatrist, licensed social worker, therapist, or anyone else with direct knowledge of your condition can write it.

The letter should say three things:

That you have a disability as defined under federal law. It does not need to name the specific diagnosis.
The functional limitations your disability creates — trouble climbing stairs, inability to stand for extended periods, anxiety that prevents you from using shared laundry facilities, or whatever fits your situation.
That the requested accommodation is necessary for you to use and enjoy your home. For example: “The installation of a grab bar in the bathroom is necessary for this patient to safely access bathing facilities given their mobility limitations.”

Your housing provider cannot demand your medical records, ask for your specific diagnosis, or probe the nature and extent of your disability beyond what’s needed to evaluate the request.³ If the provider’s form asks overly invasive questions, leave those blank and attach the verification letter separately.

Getting the letter isn’t free if you don’t already see the provider regularly. An office visit runs roughly $70 to $300 out of pocket depending on location and provider type. If you have an established care provider who already knows your history, a brief appointment or a written request may be enough without a full examination.

How to Submit It and Prove Delivery

Written requests beat oral ones because they create evidence. The HUD/DOJ Joint Statement notes that putting the request in writing helps prevent misunderstandings about what was requested and whether a request was actually made.¹

You have three sensible ways to send it:

Certified mail with return receipt. The receipt proves the date the provider received it and who signed. This is the most bulletproof method.
Hand delivery. Bring it to the management office and ask for a signed, dated receipt on your copy. If the person at the desk won’t sign, note that refusal in writing.
Online portal or email. Many authorities now accept electronic submissions. Save the confirmation email or screenshot the portal receipt. If you email it, request a read receipt.

Keep a complete copy of everything — the form, the verification letter, and proof of delivery. You may need those documents months later if the provider stalls, misplaces the file, or later denies receiving the request.

What Happens After You Submit

HUD recommends that PHAs respond within 10 business days.⁴ Some agencies’ internal policies allow up to 30 business days from the date of the request.⁵ An undue delay can itself be treated as a failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, so if you’ve heard nothing after two weeks, follow up in writing.

During the review the provider may contact you to talk through the request. This back-and-forth is the interactive process, and it usually ends in one of three ways:

Approval. You get written confirmation and the accommodation goes into effect.
An alternative offer. The provider agrees you need an accommodation but proposes a different one they think will work equally well — a stairlift instead of a ground-floor transfer, for instance. You are not required to accept the alternative if it won’t meet your needs and your original request is reasonable.¹
Denial. The provider should explain why in writing and discuss alternatives with you.

Providers cannot charge extra fees, deposits, or surcharges as a condition of granting an accommodation.³ A “processing fee” for the request, or a larger security deposit tied to a structural modification, violates federal law.

Who Pays for Physical Modifications

Under Section 504, the federally funded housing provider pays for structural modifications needed as a reasonable accommodation — widening doorways, installing ramps, lowering countertops, adding a roll-in shower — unless the cost creates an undue financial and administrative burden or fundamentally alters the program.⁶ Even when the full request is too expensive, the provider must still do as much as it can afford. HUD recognizes cost-sharing arrangements in which the provider completes part of the modification and the tenant covers the rest.

This is the big practical difference between Section 504 and the Fair Housing Act. Under the FHA, which covers private housing without federal funding, the tenant generally pays for physical modifications and may need to restore the unit on move-out. If your building takes federal money, the check comes from the provider. If it doesn’t, this article’s cost rule doesn’t apply to you.

When a Provider Can Legally Say No

Denials are only proper on a narrow set of grounds:³

No disability-related need. Either you don’t meet the legal definition of disability, or the requested change isn’t connected to your disability.
Undue financial or administrative burden. The cost would exceed what the provider’s resources can absorb without affecting its ability to serve other tenants.
Fundamental alteration. The accommodation would change the basic nature of the housing program. HUD’s regulation provides that policies essential to the program are not considered discriminatory if modifying them would fundamentally alter it.⁷
Direct threat. The accommodation would create a genuine safety risk to others. That finding has to rest on actual evidence — current behavior or a recent history of dangerous conduct — not on fear, speculation, or stereotypes about a disability.³

Even when one of these applies to your specific request, the provider still has to work with you on an alternative that meets your disability-related need without the same burden. A flat denial with no discussion of alternatives is almost always improper.

If You Get Denied

Ask for the denial in writing, with the reason stated. A verbal “no” is much harder to challenge, and you can’t respond effectively without knowing whether the provider is claiming undue burden, fundamental alteration, insufficient documentation, or something else.

Most PHAs have an internal grievance process. Specifics vary, but the usual path is a written complaint to the housing authority’s Section 504 Coordinator, who investigates and issues a decision, followed by an appeal to a higher-level administrator if you disagree. Check your PHA’s admissions and continued occupancy policy or tenant handbook for the exact timeline and steps.

If the internal route doesn’t fix it, file a housing discrimination complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Three ways to do it:⁸

Online through HUD’s complaint portal at hud.gov/reporthousingdiscrimination.
By phone at 1-800-669-9777 to speak with an FHEO intake specialist.
By mail using HUD Form 903.1, sent to your regional FHEO office.

Under the Fair Housing Act you have one year from the last discriminatory act to file.⁹ HUD recommends filing as soon as possible while events are fresh and documentation is easy to gather. You do not need a lawyer to file, and it is illegal for your provider to retaliate against you for making the request or for filing a complaint.

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Joint Statement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice – Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act
2
Chicago Housing Authority. Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form
3
U.S. Department of Justice. Joint Statement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice – Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act
4
HUD Exchange. Reasonable Accommodations in Public Housing
5
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Chapter 6 – The Decision Making Process
6
HUD Exchange. In Public Housing, Who Is Responsible for Paying for Physical Modifications
7
eCFR. 24 CFR 8.33 – Housing Adjustments
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Report Housing Discrimination
9
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Learn About FHEO’s Process to Report and Investigate Housing Discrimination