Part II: Applying Multiple Laws in Certain Areas of the Property
As discussed in the first part of this blog series, there are certain areas of a multifamily apartment community where both the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans
Part I: Assistance Animals Under The ADA
As I wrote about recently, while the Fair Housing Act (FHA) applies to virtually all areas of a multifamily apartment community, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) only applies to areas of the
I had an interesting situation come up just the other day—a resident at an apartment community claimed that the community pool was violating housing discrimination laws by not being fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. Obviously, any time a resident
One question that I get asked frequently is “When is a claim under the Fair Housing Act barred?” In other words, how long does an individual have under the Fair Housing Act to make a claim before that claim is
A recent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) case caught my eye earlier this week, and made me realize that there was still some confusion over the distinction between “service animals” and “emotional support animals.” To simplify matters,
In my recent blog post, I discussed the often overlooked design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing Act. In sum, if you are an owner or manager of a property “built for first occupancy” after March 13, 1991,
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) allows a plaintiff to attack a housing policy that discriminates based on familial status. Specifically, the FHA prohibits landlords from discriminating against families with children under 18 years old. For instance, landlords are prohibited from
It may not be as sexy as a request for an assistance pig, or as routine as a request for grab bars, but one of the most important—and overlooked—parts of the Fair Housing Act is the design and construction guidelines.
As landlords and property managers, you walk a thin line with regard to accommodation requests involving assistance animals. You obviously want to make sure that any tenant who needs an assistance animal is accommodated. At the same time, you need
Now that the Supreme Court has definitively ruled that disparate impact claims are valid under the Fair Housing Act, HUD has issued guidance regarding one common multifamily property policy that it believes has a discriminatory effect on minorities—criminal background screening.