Every single year, there are tens of thousands of complaints filed for viollation of the Fair Housing Act in the United States. Those kinds of complaints can be avoided by learning more about the ins and outs of the rules set out in the Fair Housing Act.
There are a lot of fair housing rules and regulations to memorize, but it is an essential part of the body of knowledge that every property manager needs. So what exactly does the Fair Housing Act stipulate? Read on to learn all about the Fair Housing Act and how you can apply it to your property management service!
Protected Classes That Property Managers Should Know About
When it comes to property management, there is a lot that a real estate investor can look up whenever they need to. However, it is probably better to just memorize the seven protected classes laid out in the Fair Housing Act.
This act stipulates that it is illegal to discriminate against tenants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. This applies to evictions as well as to tenant screening.
Subtler Ways an Accidental Violation of the Fair Housing Act Could Occur
Landlords sometimes specialize in real estate investing and are not familiar with the subtle ways they can accidentally violate the Fair Housing Act. For example, there are certain kinds of questions you should probably avoid asking your tenants. That applies both before and after they are you are tenants.
In general, you might arouse suspicion if you seem overly interested in the country of origin of a prospective tenant. The same might apply if you seem to be trying to figure out if a woman is pregnant or not. Part of leasing management is avoiding unnecessary questions that can lead to legal problems.
Service Animals
Your homes for rent are legally required to allow service animals. On top of that, you are not allowed to charge any fees for service animals. This confuses some landlords who are used to charging fees for pets.
The important thing to keep in mind in rental leasing is that service animals are not pets. They are an essential part of the lifestyle of people with disabilities.
Familiarize Yourself With Fair Housing Rules and Regulations
We hope that you were able to learn something useful from this brief article on some of the most important fair housing rules and regulations that every property manager should know about. There is a lot to learn when you are starting out as a property manager. However, the more informed you are, the fewer mistakes you will make.
In the long run, it will save you a lot of time to avoid making violations against the Fair Housing Act. Even if it takes a little extra time to learn about it at first, it will more than pay for itself.
To learn more about everything that a quality property manager should know, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
