Fair housing laws promote equality, prevent discrimination in housing, and aim to ensure that everyone has the right to a safe and comfortable home. Nevertheless, understanding and complying with these laws can sometimes prove challenging for rental property managers and owners. While the goal of fair housing laws is simple, putting them into effect can be a bigger challenge.
Understanding fair housing laws and how they affect you can be helpful in keeping your rental properties compliant. Stay tuned to discover more about the fundamentals of fair housing laws, common problems with compliance, and the best ways for rental property owners and managers.
Understanding Fair Housing Laws
To start understanding fair housing laws, you should know that different federal, state, and local laws may apply to your rental property based on its location.
The first law most people think of regarding fair housing is the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. This law prohibits discrimination in housing on a national scale based on factors such as race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or family status. The law covers housing-related transactions, including buying, renting, and financing. Its goal is to make sure that everyone has equal access to these options.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) enforces this law, which investigates complaints and works to uphold fair housing standards across the U.S. In addition to the Fair Housing Act, other federal housing laws support and reinforce the principles of fair housing. Together, these regulations work toward a more equitable housing landscape across the country.
Eviction rights, security deposit limits, and discrimination based on income source, sexual orientation, or gender identity are just a few of the challenges that are dealt with by state and local laws in addition to federal regulations. Some cities have rent control or stabilization rules to prevent excessive rent increases, ensuring housing accessibility in high-demand areas. Local tenant rights may also include safeguards against eviction during dangerous circumstances, access to habitability standards, and requirements for clear communication between landlords and tenants. You can learn more about the housing laws in your state by going online.
Common Compliance Challenges for Property Owners
Knowing common scenarios that may result in housing law violations and how to steer clear of them is just as important as knowing the laws themselves. Some common challenges rental property owners and landlords face in obeying fair housing laws, for instance, are caused by unintentional prejudice or using traditional approaches.
As an example, some property managers and owners have difficulty with tenant screening as federal law says you can’t decline to lease to someone because they have a medical condition, are too old, or have a connection to someone else. Saying ahead of time that you will only rent to adults without kids or that you will not rent to those who are in their 20s are both examples of housing discrimination.
A similar issue can arise when marketing the property, where property owners and managers may want to advertise for a specific type of tenant. These methods also generally run afoul of state and federal housing laws. By recognizing these challenges and adjusting your screening and marketing methods, you can better ensure fair and equitable treatment of all prospective residents.
Best Practices for Ensuring Compliance
There are crucial steps you can take to make sure your property management strategies are compliant with fair housing laws, such as developing and adhering to a standardized application process and defining parameters for tenant screenings. This is the best way to prevent discrimination that was not intended. Other best practices to ensure compliance include:
- Avoid making statements or preferences that are discriminatory by using inclusive language in rental advertisements.
- Be consistent with providing the same information, following the same procedures, and executing the same follow-up actions for each applicant.
- Ensure that your lease terms, rules, and policies are equally fair to all tenants.
- Stay informed about reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and respond to such requests promptly and appropriately.
- Keep detailed records of all applications, interactions, and decisions, such as the grounds you gave for approvals and denials, in case of future disputes or inquiries.
- Consult an attorney or legal expert when creating rules or dealing with difficult situations.
Creating and following a written non-discrimination policy that outlines your devotion to Fair Housing compliance is a good idea to maintain consistency.
Property Management Companies in Fair Housing Compliance
Experienced property managers should understand all applicable local, state, and federal regulations. Plus, as trained professionals, they have methods to ensure that your tenant relations, screening, documentation, and other functions comply with these regulations. This can give you composure and help reduce the risk of discrimination claims altogether.
Building a Fair Housing Culture
With so much at stake in an investment property, it’s imperative to be familiar with laws governing rental properties, housing, and related topics to stay out of trouble with the law. Property owners can help ensure equitable treatment for all tenants by recognizing and adhering to fair housing laws.
When you work with an experienced property management company like Real Property Management Nampa, they can help you figure out how to follow the complicated fair housing rules in Caldwell and the surrounding areas. Contact us today or call 208-960-0660 to get more data on ensuring housing law compliance and other quality management services.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
