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We have given you seven rules on preventing fair housing complaints during the application process. Now let's look at how the rules might apply in the real world. Take the COACH'S QUIZ to see what you have learned.
INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the following questions has only one correct answer. On a separate piece of paper, write down the number of each question, followed by the answer you think is correct—for example, 1) b, 2) a, and so on.
COACH'S TIP: The correct answers (with explanations) follow the quiz. Good luck!
In this special issue of Fair Housing Coach, we'll update you on some recent court developments on the Fair Housing Act (FHA). In recent months, courts have handed down decisions on local immigration measures and the FHA design and construction standards—topics we covered in Fair Housing Coach earlier this year—and on discriminatory advertising on the Internet, a topic we last covered in 2006.
In this special issue of Fair Housing Coach, we look at some recent cases decided by federal and state courts on fair housing law. Keeping abreast of what's happening in the courts can help you learn from the experiences of other communities to better prevent—or respond to—fair housing complaints.
This month, we are going to put the focus on your staff as your first line of defense against fair housing claims. The potential for a fair housing problem is inherent in the many ways your staff interacts with prospects, applicants, and residents—answering phone calls, marketing and showing units, evaluating rental applications, responding to accommodation requests, and performing maintenance work, to name a few.
This month, we are going to teach you about liability insurance that covers housing discrimination. This is important because even if you follow every lesson in Fair Housing Coach, someone someday may claim that you or your community discriminated against him in violation of fair housing laws. If that happens, you need to know whether your insurance covers the claim and, if it does, to what extent your community is covered.
This month, we are going to help you handle residents who cause trouble in your community—either to other residents, the property, or you and your staff—without your violating fair housing laws.
Residents have been known to vandalize or damage community property; violate their leases or community rules; and intimidate, threaten, or harass other residents or guests. They can also make it hard for owners and managers to do their jobs and for residents to enjoy their homes.
This month, we will tell you how to deal with a HUD investigation based on a complaint that you or your community discriminated against someone protected by fair housing law.
These days, filing a fair housing complaint is easy. On the HUD Web site, www.hud.gov, one can find complaint forms to fill out online or to download and mail in, as well as phone numbers to call to file a complaint.
This month we are going to show you how to reject applications without violating fair housing law.
You have the right to reject applications when they do not meet your community's screening criteria. If, for example, an applicant can't show that he can afford your rent, you can legally refuse to rent to him. Whatever the reason for the rejection, it can be painful for the applicant.
This month, we'll discuss how to enter residents' apartments without violating fair housing law. There are many reasons why you and other staff members might need to enter a resident's apartment. You might need to perform routine maintenance, such as changing air-conditioning filters or spraying for bugs; inspect the apartment; make repairs; or show the apartment to a prospective new tenant.
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