Many of the Fair Housing Act violations alleged in the latest cases prosecuted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) involve apparent violations. It is hard to imagine in today’s atmosphere that a landlord would demand sexual favors from a tenant or tell a prospective tenant they need to speak Engish. However, even when the cases involve facts that leave you shaking your head, they are a reminder that federal and state agencies remain committed to fair housing enforcement.
California
This is a case where the landlord told HUD testers posing as Spanish-speaking prospective tenants that they “needed to speak English in order to be added to properties’ waiting lists.” HUD settled the case. Read HUD’s Press Release here.
Hawaii
Here HUD settled two cases (case one – case two) where it was alleged that a developer failed to construct apartment units to ADA standards. Read HUD’s Press Releases here.
Maryland
HUD has settled a case where a condo board refused to waive its rule limiting the number of occupants in a rental unit to two persons per bedroom. The Claimant was a family of eight – one of which was a young child having bone marrow transplant treatment at nearby Johns Hopkins Hospital – to temporarily rent a three-bedroom condominium. The family needed to live together to facilitate the young child’s medical treatment and care, which included the screening of all family members for a viable bone marrow donor.
Minnesota
This Charge taught housing providers that when asked about assistance animals, do not reply: “Go find somewhere else to live.” Read HUD’s Press Release here.
Missouri
Failure to build apartments to ADA standards is the Charge in this case. Read HUD’s Press Release here. And sexual harassment is the basis of this Charge described in this HUD Press Release.
Nevada
HUD settled yet another assistance animal case. Read the HUD Press Release here.
Puerto Rico
This Charge seems basic to those that follow Fair Housing Act cases, but it involves a woman with a seeing-eye dog being denied a rental unit because of a no-pet policy. Read HUD’s Press Release here.
Wisconsin
Here is another case involving sexual harassment and discrimination that many people would believe to be common sense. Note in this case that HUD linked state law in the Charge, as well. Read the Press Release here.
