Other

COACH's Pop Quiz!

March 4, 2024    

Q: In response to a neighbor’s complaints about odors coming from a tenant’s apartment, you enter the unit and discover stacks of moldy newspapers, open food containers, unwashed clothing, and other debris strewn about, including...

COACH's Pop Quiz!

November 1, 2023    

Q: Your property is located in San Antonio where local ordinance bans military status discrimination. A naval officer has been assigned to a new base and needs a one-bedroom apartment right away. The only one-bedroom apartment that’s...

Don't Use ChatGPT for Marketing Purposes

August 2, 2023    

Hidden flaws in the technology can expose you to fair housing liability.

Like other real estate businesses, you may be using ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, and other generative AI products, a.k.a. chatbots, for marketing purposes, such as developing advertising strategies, analyzing...

Bill Introduced to Expand FHA's List of Protected Classes

June 5, 2023    

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) recently introduced the “Fair Housing Improvement Act” to protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination.

Citizenship Requirements at HUD-Assisted Sites

February 17, 2023    

Last week’s Pop Quiz posed a question about when you can reject applicants who aren’t U.S. citizens without risking fair housing trouble. The answer was when being a U.S. citizen is required for leasing...

COACH's Pop Quiz!

February 3, 2023    

Can You Reject Applicants Based on Their Immigration Status?   

 

Which of the following reasons is a legitimate reason to reject applicants who aren’t U.S. citizens?

a.           ...

Q&A: Requiring Local Verification for Assistance Animals

October 17, 2022    

Q: I manage a rental property in Maine that doesn’t allow pets. An applicant from New York gave me a note from a New York doctor stating that the applicant needs an emotional support animal as an accommodation for a disability. Can I...

COACH's Pop Quiz!

October 3, 2022    

Q: Two-persons-per-bedroom would be a difficult occupancy standard to justify as reasonable if:

  1. The landlord has made discriminatory remarks about not wanting to rent to...

Is It Okay to Show Limited Availability of Units Online?

May 18, 2022    

Q: Is there a potential fair housing problem with advertising online that we have, say, two available units at our property, when in fact we have, say, five units? If someone comes to the property, we will show all five units. But we want to...

COACH's Pop Quiz!

April 5, 2022    

Q: While preparing to open your community’s swimming pool for the summer, you review your pool rules. You want to prevent kids from drowning by requiring them to be responsibly supervised when using the pool. Local ordinances stipulate...

COACH's Pop Quiz!

January 31, 2022    

In a recent case, a tenant claimed she needed an emotional support animal for a mental disability and asked the homeowners association board for an exemption from the community’s no-pet policy. Since the tenant’s disability isn’t readily apparent, the board asked her for...

COACH's Pop Quiz: Holiday Edition

December 1, 2021    

Q: Your community allows residents to reserve the common room for parties and other social activities, including Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. A resident asks if he can reserve the room to host a pagan celebration to mark the winter...