To guarantee that everyone has the right to a secure and enjoyable home, fair housing laws support equality and prevent discrimination in housing. However, it can occasionally be difficult for rental property managers and owners to comprehend and follow these regulations. Although the goal of fair housing rules is clear-cut, their execution can be somewhat harder to achieve.
Keeping your rental properties compliant requires understanding fair housing laws and how they apply to you. Stay around to understand the essentials of fair housing laws, frequent compliance concerns, and optimal procedures for rental property owners and managers.
Understanding Fair Housing Laws
Knowing that several federal, state, and local laws may apply to your rental property is the first step in understanding fair housing laws.
Most people’s first statute of reference on fair housing is the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. This law prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, impairment, and family background at a national level. With an eye toward equal access in all housing-related transactions, the law covers financing, rents, and sales of homes.
The legislation is enacted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which reviews concerns and tries to uphold fair housing standards across the U.S. In addition to the Fair Housing Act, other federal housing laws promote and strengthen the concepts of fair housing. A more equitable housing landscape across the nation is the result of these laws taken together.
Eviction rights, security deposit limits, and discrimination based on financial source, sexual orientation, or gender identity are just a few of the issues that are addressed by state and local laws in addition to federal regulations. To prevent excessive rent increases and ensure housing affordability in high-demand areas, some cities implement rent control or stabilization laws. Local tenant rights could also include access to habitability standards, protections against eviction during severe weather, and rules for open communication between landlords and tenants. You can find more information about housing laws in your state online.
Common Compliance Challenges for Property Owners
Understanding common scenarios that may result in housing law violations and how to prevent them is equally important as learning about the regulations themselves. For instance, several common challenges rental property owners and landlords face when attempting to comply with fair housing laws can stem from implicit bias or dependence on antiquated methods.
For some property managers and owners, tenant screening can be challenging as federal law forbids you from declining to rent to someone depending on their disability status, age, or familial situation. Therefore, it would be an example of housing discrimination to decide ahead of time that you will only rent to individuals without children or that you will not rent to anyone in their 20s.
When marketing the property, property owners and managers could want to promote a certain kind of renter, which might present a similar problem. State and federal housing laws are typically violated by these techniques. Acknowledging these difficulties and adjusting your screening and marketing methods will help you to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all prospective residents.
Best Practices for Ensuring Compliance
The best method to prevent inadvertent prejudice is to set criteria for tenant screenings and create a standardized application process, both of which are necessary to ensure that your property management strategies comply with fair housing laws. Other best practices to ensure compliance include:
- Use inclusive language in rental advertisements to eliminate discriminatory remarks or preferences.
- For each application, be consistent in giving the same information, following the same procedures, and completing the same follow-up actions.
- Ensure that your lease terms, laws, and policies are equally fair to all tenants.
- Stay updated about reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and respond to such requests promptly and appropriately.
- Keep detailed records of all applications, discussions, and decisions, noting your justifications for approvals and denials in case of future disputes or inquiries.
- When creating policies or resolving difficult circumstances, speak with an attorney or legal expert.
Maintaining consistency is helped by establishing and following a written non-discrimination policy that clearly expresses your dedication to Fair Housing compliance.
Property Management Companies in Fair Housing Compliance
Experienced property managers should know all applicable local, state, and federal regulations. Moreover, as trained professionals, they have methods to ensure that your tenant connections, assessments, records, and other activities comply with these regulations. This can give you peace of mind and help reduce the risk of discrimination claims altogether.
Building a Fair Housing Culture
With so much vulnerability in an investment property, it’s crucial to be informed of laws governing rental properties, housing, and connected problems to avoid legal traps with greater ease. Property owners can help ensure equitable treatment for all tenants by understanding and complying with fair housing laws.
The knowledge to negotiate the complexity of fair housing legislation in Burbank and vicinity is provided by working with an experienced property management company like Real Property Management Tri-Cities. Contact us immediately or call 509-572-5440 to gather more details 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.
