Fair housing laws advocate equality, prevent discrimination in housing, and try to make sure that everyone has the right to a pleasant and secure home. Despite this, it can be hard for rental property managers and owners to understand and follow these rules. While the objective of fair housing laws is straightforward, putting them into action can be a bit challenging.
Understanding fair housing laws and how they apply to you is vital to keeping your rental properties compliant. Stick around to learn about the basics of fair housing laws, common compliance issues, and best practices for rental property owners and managers.
Understanding Fair Housing Laws
Before you begin understanding fair housing laws, you ought to understand that different federal, state, and local laws might be applicable to your rental property based on its location.
The first law several individuals come up with regarding fair housing is the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. Nationwide, this statute prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or family status. The law encompasses all housing-related transactions, including buying, renting, and funding. The objective is to make sure that everyone has equal access to these choices.
The constitution is enforced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which looks into reports and strives to uphold fair housing standards across the U.S. Besides the Fair Housing Act, other federal housing laws reinforce and protect the principles of fair housing. All of these rules work together to make a more equitable housing landscape across the country.
Besides federal regulations, many state and local laws give renters extra safeguards. These laws cover topics like eviction rights, security deposit limits, and discrimination based on income source, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Some cities have rules that limit or stabilize rent increases to prevent excessive costs and guarantee housing affordability in high-demand areas. Local tenant rights may also include the right not to be evicted during bad weather, the right to know about the habitability standards, and the need for landlords and tenants to be able to talk to each other clearly. You can find more information about housing laws in your state online.
Common Compliance Challenges for Property Owners
It is important to know the rules, but it is also important to know the common scenarios that may result in housing law violations and how to avoid them. For example, some common challenges rental property owners and landlords face with following fair housing laws often result from implicit bias or reliance on old methods.
For illustration, tenant screening can be problematic for some property managers and owners because federal law does not permit you to reject rent to someone because they have an impairment, are too mature, or have links to another individual. So, choosing ahead of time that you will only rent to adults without children, for example, or that you won’t rent to people in their 20s, would both be examples of housing discrimination.
When marketing the property, property owners and managers might wish to look for a specific kind of rental, which may lead to an equivalent issue. Most of the time, these approaches are also against state and federal housing laws. By comprehending these problems 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 make sure your property management strategies comply with fair housing laws, you need to do things like create and follow a standard application process and develop criteria for tenant screenings. This will help you avoid discrimination that you didn’t mean to do. Other best practices to ensure compliance include:
- Use inclusive language in rental advertisements to prevent making statements or opinions that are discriminatory.
- Be consistent with providing the same information, following the same procedures, and doing the same follow-up actions for every candidate.
- Ensure that your lease terms, rules, and policies are equally fair to all tenants.
- Know that reasonable accommodations are all available for tenants with disabilities, and be ready to respond to such requests promptly and appropriately.
- Keep detailed records of all applications, interactions, and choices, incorporating your reasons for approvals and denials in case of future disputes or inquiries.
- Talk to an attorney or legal expert before making rules or dealing with tough scenarios.
It is advisable to make and follow a written non-discrimination policy that articulates your commitment to Fair Housing compliance to remain consistent.
Property Management Companies in Fair Housing Compliance
Experienced property managers should know all the neighborhood, state, and federal rules that apply to their jobs. In addition, because they are trained professionals, they have ways to make sure that your interactions with tenants, background checks, paperwork, and other tasks comply with these regulations. This can help you feel better and reduce the risk of discrimination claims altogether.
Building a Fair Housing Culture
With so much at stake in an investment property, it’s helpful to know the laws governing rental properties, housing, and other connected subjects. This will make it easier to stay out of trouble with the law. Property owners can help ensure equitable treatment for all tenants by knowing and adhering to fair housing laws.
When you collaborate with an experienced property management company like Real Property Management Boise, they can help you figure out how to abide by the complicated fair housing rules in Eagle and the neighboring communities. Contact us today or call 208-494-1800 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.
