In order to ensure that everyone has the right to a safe and comfortable home, fair housing laws promote equality and prevent discrimination in housing. However, it can be difficult for rental property managers and owners to understand and comply with these requirements. Although fair housing policies have a simple objective, putting them onto paper can be trickier.
Understanding fair housing laws and how they pertain to you is essential to keeping your rental properties compliant. Stay tuned for an overview of the fundamentals of fair housing laws, typical problems with compliance, and suggestions for how rental property owners and managers.
Understanding Fair Housing Laws
The location of your rental property determines whether federal, state, and municipal laws may be applicable; thus, familiarizing yourself with these laws is the first step in understanding fair housing laws.
The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 is the primary that comes to mind when discussing fair housing. At the national level, this law prohibits discrimination in housing on the grounds of race, color, national origin, spirituality, sex, impairment, or family status. The goal of the law is to guarantee equal access to all housing-related transactions pertaining to housing, including sales, rent, and financing.
This rule is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which looks into complaints and tries to uphold fair housing standards across the U.S. The concepts of fair housing are upheld and strengthened by additional federal housing laws, which are in addition to the Fair Housing Act. Together, these regulations work toward a more equitable housing landscape across the country.
Eviction rights, security deposit limits, and discrimination based on poverty, sexual orientation, or gender identity are just a few of the issues that are regulated by state and local laws that complement federal regulations. Some cities have rent control or stabilization laws to prevent excessive rent increases, ensuring housing affordability in high-demand areas. Access to habitability standards, protections against eviction during severe weather, and requirements for good communication between landlords and tenants are all examples of local tenant rights. Information regarding the housing laws in your state can be found online.
Common Compliance Challenges for Property Owners
Identifying common scenarios that may result in housing law violations and learning how to prevent them are both crucial initial steps. For instance, some common challenges rental property owners and landlords face when attempting to stay in line with fair housing laws are sometimes the result of implicit bias or dependence on antiquated processes.
For example, some property managers and owners may find tenant screening difficult due to the fact that it is illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of age, familial status, or disability according to federal law. Some examples of housing discrimination include making a prior decision not to rent to persons in their twenties or just to adults without children.
When marketing the property, property owners and managers want to target a particular kind of tenant, and that can lead to a similar issue. Most state and federal housing laws also prohibit these practices. 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
To avoid unintended discrimination and make sure your property management strategies are in line with fair housing laws, you need to do things like establish criteria for tenant screenings and create and adhere to a standardized application process. Other best practices to ensure compliance include:
- Use inclusive language in rental advertisements to prevent making discriminatory remarks or preferences.
- Be consistent when giving each candidate the same information, following the same procedures, and completing 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, documenting your reasons for approvals and denials in case of future disputes or inquiries.
- When creating regulations or dealing with difficult issues, go to an attorney or legal expert.
Establishing and maintaining a written non-discrimination policy that states your dedication to Fair Housing compliance is a great way to keep things consistent.
Property Management Companies in Fair Housing Compliance
All applicable municipal, state, and federal regulations should be grasped by experienced property managers. Additionally, they have measures in place to guarantee that your tenant relations, screening, documentation, and other operations comply with these regulations because they are trained professionals. This can alleviate your anxiety and significantly reduce the risk of discrimination claims.
Building a Fair Housing Culture
Because of the high stakes involved in an investment property, it pays to be well-versed in the laws governing rental properties, housing, and associated matters to steer clear of any potential legal problems. Property owners can help ensure equitable treatment for all tenants by understanding and observing fair housing laws.
The intricacies of the Research Triangle Park and neighboring fair housing legislation can be better navigated with the help of an experienced property management company, such as Real Property Management Impact. Contact us today or call 919-439-8989 for more information 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.
