Fair Housing

HUD announced today that an agreement has been reached with a condo association in Puerto Rico with the settlement amount valued at $1 million. Isleta Marina, a two-tower, 360 unit development was alleged to have violated the Fair Housing Act…

Today HUD announced that the owner of Breckenridge Plaza Apartments in Phoenixville, PA has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle claims that the property manager discriminated against families with children…

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has held that anyone who commits a prohibited act of discrimination in rental housing may be held personally liable under the Fair Housing Act, regardless of whether that person…

According to a January 20, 2011 HUD Office of General Counsel (OGC) legal opinion, PHAs and owners of federally assisted housing may not permit disabled current or prospective tenants to grow, use, possess, or distribute medical marijuana, even if permitted…

On January 20, 2011, HUD issued a proposed rule clarifying that all otherwise eligible households, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, have an equal opportunity to participate in HUD programs. This rule would also expand the definition…

In Upper East Lease Assoc, LLC v. Cannon, January 2011, an owner sued a resident for unpaid rent. The resident claimed that the owner had violated the warranty of habitability by allowing secondhand smoke to infiltrate from a downstairs neighbor.…

It is a good management practice to avoid showing apartments when a manager feels threatened in any way. I always advise managers not to show units when they fear being alone with a prospect. However, fair housing law requires the…

On January 24, 2011, HUD issued a proposed rule making it illegal for owners and managers of HUD-assisted housing or FHA-insured housing to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity…