Elevators are very expensive to build and operate— requiring every new multifamily building contain one would significantly increase the cost of urban housing b

Elevators are very expensive to build and operate— requiring every new multifamily building contain one would significantly increase the cost of urban housing by outlawing many common forms of building, and effectively preclude homeownership in many poor urban communities where a 2- or 3- family house is the most affordable route— buildings must be large to amortize the cost of an elevator, and large buildings are usually owned by large corporate landlords. That does not appear to be a tradeoff Congress desired. "The Fair Housing Act requires all "covered multifamily dwellings" designed and constructed for first occupancy after March 13, 1991 to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Covered multifamily dwellings are all dwelling units in buildings containing four or more units with one or more elevators, and all ground floor units in buildings containing four or more units, without an elevator. Federal regulations adopted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 24 CFR 100.201 define covered multi-family dwellings." http://www.fairhousingfirst.org/faq/mfhousing.html http://www.fairhousingfirst.org/faq/mfhousing.html