The Fair Housing Institute, Inc.
We provide comprehensive fair housing online training to protect you, your property and your company.
What does the executive order signed by President Biden on January 25, 2021, mean for the housing community? With the updated guidelines, what can we expect from HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, and what should we be doing now to avoid any appearance of housing discrimination against LGBTQ+ prospects?
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
[Read more…]
The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for a housing provider to attempt to influence where a prospect lives due to the prospect’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disabilities.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
[Read more…]
Update 02/24/2021
President Biden signed an Executive Order on January 25, 2021, requiring protections of LGBTQ people in housing, health care, and education. The Executive Order cites the recent Supreme Court decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, that held that the prohibition against sex discrimination in the Equal Employment Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Executive Order requires the applicable federal agencies, including HUD, to promulgate actions consistent with Bostock and the various civil rights laws. This Executive Order will result in new HUD regulations explaining the protections of LGBTQ persons under the Fair Housing Act.
We believe there will be a notable increase in testing and enforcement of the new fair housing protections of LGBTQ people. Whenever changes in regulations occur, housing providers can expect an increase in testing by housing advocacy agencies. We will provide updates on these regulations as they become available. To avoid unnecessary liability, all housing providers should be educated about these changes, and ensure that all employees are properly trained and prepared for testers. For more information on this groundbreaking case and what to expect check out our youtube video below.”
July 2020 Original Post
The Supreme Court has had a pending case involving sexual orientation and gender identity. In a very recent historic decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, 590, U.S. ___ (2020), (“Bostock”) the U.S. Supreme Court expanded its interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination. This law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, but not explicitly on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Court has determined in this decision that Title VII’s protection of employees on the basis of sex also protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
[Read more…]
A reasonable accommodation by definition is an adjustment made in a system to accommodate or make fair the same system for an individual based on a proven need. It is one of the many staples within Fair Housing that we all need to be educated about.
[Read more…]
The Fair Housing future has a lot in store for us. What is on the Fair Housing horizon? For property management professionals this is an important question. We can never sit on our hands when it comes to Fair Housing compliance. So what have we learned from the previous year and what can we expect moving into this new year?
[Read more…]
When was the last time you reviewed your screening policies? Prevent illegal discrimination in screening applicants by developing and practicing consistent policies. Terrorism concerns are relevant and need to be addressed in a proactive way and not reactive. Your team needs to be properly trained on Fair Housing compliance and also on how to properly apply any procedures and policies that you may implement. [Read more…]
Great article found by our good friend Nadeen Green! Please remember-this article does not explain the requirements for either service or emotional support animals in housing. The Fair Housing Act, unlike the ADA, permits either type of assistive animals but permits the housing provider to seek third party professional verification when the need for the animal is not readily apparent. Click HERE for more
What qualifies as a senior living community? An increasing number of housing developments appear to be marketing themselves as “Active Adult” or “Empty Nester” communities. How can that be? “Adult Only” housing was outlawed in 1988 when President Ronald Reagan signed the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) into law.
[Read more…]
So let’s review the seven protected classes. They are as follows. 1. Race 2. Color 3. Religion 4. National Origin 5. Gender 6. Familial Status 7. Disability. Some local governments have already passed legislation that protects LGBT as a class and we can only foresee that more of this will occur through all levels of government in the near future.