Can you say “walking distance” in an MLS listing? It depends

Why

On the caution side of LIBOR, NYPA and CRMLS. It's subjective and can read as excluding people who don't walk. HUD's memo is fine with neighborhood descriptions like "walk to bus-stop", so name the distance (0.4 mi) or say "convenient to" (NYPA and CRMLS acceptable).

Safer wording

• convenient to
• a short distance to

What the tag means

Depends means it's fine or not depending on how it's used. Read the reason, then decide for your sentence.

What ListingLint matches

This rule is tested against its own examples on every change. It catches walking distance. It deliberately does not fire on: walk-in closet, walk to the bus stop, walkable neighborhood.

Check your own wording

Paste a sentence or your whole listing. It runs ListingLint's real rule engine in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. walking distance

1 phrase to look at

• Depends “walking distance”

  On the caution side of LIBOR, NYPA and CRMLS. It's subjective and can read as excluding people who don't walk. HUD's memo is fine with neighborhood descriptions like "walk to bus-stop", so name the distance (0.4 mi) or say "convenient to" (NYPA and CRMLS acceptable).

  Try: convenient to / a short distance to

A word check, not a legal review. Open the full checker for fixes, the fact lock and the MLS character count.

What the law covers here

The federal statute uses the word "handicap" and defines it as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of one, or being regarded as having one. Describing accessibility features of the property is generally fine. Describing which people can or can't live there is what gets flagged.

• Fair Housing Act definitions, 42 U.S.C. § 3602
• Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c)

Sources

• Long Island Board of REALTORS®: Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase Guidelines (Mar. 2025)
• Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase List (New York Press Assn.; source: Oklahoma Press Assn.)
• CRMLS Fair Housing Word & Phrase List (Apr. 2021)
• HUD "Achtenberg memo": Guidance Regarding Advertisements Under §804(c), Jan. 9, 1995

About the 1995 HUD memo

HUD no longer posts the 1995 memo on its website. Oregon REALTORS reported in April 2026 that HUD removed it without notice, and HUD withdrew its April 2024 digital-advertising guidance in September 2025. The Fair Housing Act and HUD's advertising regulation (24 CFR § 100.75) didn't change. Boards and MLS word lists still lean on the memo, which is why it's still cited here, as history and as the clearest explanation of how ads are read.

• Oregon REALTORS: Fair housing compliance after the guidance reset (Apr. 17, 2026)
• LeadingAge: HUD withdraws fair housing guidance documents (Sept. 17, 2025 memo)

Related phrases

• no wheelchairs Avoid
• not suitable for wheelchairs Avoid
• able-bodied only Avoid
• agile Caution
• crippled Avoid
• no hiv Avoid
• no group homes Avoid
• non-drinkers only Avoid

All disability phrases on one page · The 12-check listing checklist

Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city, with some protecting more classes than federal law does. If you're unsure about a listing, ask your broker or a fair housing attorney. Rule dis-walking-distance, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.