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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Q: I manage rental properties that participate in HUD programs. A tenant claims her boyfriend is abusing her and asked me to transfer her to a different unit at one of our other properties. I know that under the Violence Against Women Act (...
Q: A tenant comes to you in tears and says that a maintenance worker who’s been sexually harassing her for months just entered her apartment and exposed himself. “I’m going to call a lawyer,” she exclaims. You feel...
The owner of the apartment complex you manage has asked you to investigate a sexual harassment complaint about a maintenance employee made by a tenant at another one of the owner’s properties. Because you have no work relationship with anyone at that property, the owner believes you can...
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.
