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In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: If a tenant who’s requesting permission for an assistance animal provides verification from a credible source, but it's dated a few years back, is this acceptable? What is the rule for backdated verifications?
In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: When tenants request an assistance animal, are they required to put a deposit down like everyone else who requests for a pet to be admitted to housing?
Q: A criminal records check reveals that a rental applicant was arrested on rape charges twice, once in 1997 and again in 2009. Do you have legitimate, nondiscriminatory grounds to reject his application?
a. No, because the arrests happened more than seven years ago.
b. Yes, because arrests for sexual assault are grounds to reject regardless of how long ago they happened.
During the pandemic, many communities have been negotiating rent repayment plans to help residents who are struggling financially avoid eviction due to what may be only a temporary financial setback. The common practice of negotiating with residents on an individual basis results in different deals.
Are COVID-Related Reasons for Nonrenewal Discriminatory?
Q: A resident who owes you a lot of money in unpaid rent and who has a history of disturbing her neighbors is finally coming to the end of her lease. She wants to renew, but you don’t want her back. Not only has she been a handful of trouble, but the daughter with whom she shares the apartment works as a technician at a medical lab.
The share of voucher holders covered by voucher protection laws is growing, according to a recent report from The Urban Institute and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC). Their dataset and accompanying report entitled, “State and Local Voucher Protection Laws,” compile state and local laws that prohibit discrimination by landlords against renters with Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs).
Q: Your community was built in the 1980s. The leasing office is on the first floor, but there’s a step at the building entrance. Although it’s not covered under the FHA’s design and construction standards, your community could still face a disability discrimination complaint. True or false?
Q: It’s illegal to refuse to deny housing based on a prospect’s race or color, but you can’t get into fair housing trouble if you merely bend the truth when asked about available units. True or false?
In June 2020, Google announced an update to its ad policy to prohibit employment, housing, and credit advertisers from targeting or excluding ads based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code.
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