To ensure that everyone has the right to a safe and enjoyable home, fair housing laws support fairness and prevent discrimination in housing. However, it can occasionally be hard for rental property managers and owners to know and follow these regulations. Although the objective of fair housing rules is simple, their execution can be somewhat tougher to achieve.
Keeping your rental properties compliant requires understanding fair housing laws and how they affect you. Stay around to know the essentials of fair housing laws, common compliance concerns, and optimal measures for rental property owners and managers.
Understanding Fair Housing Laws
Knowing that numerous federal, state, and local laws may apply to your rental property is the first stage in understanding fair housing laws.
Most people’s first rule of reference on fair housing is the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. This regulation prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, impairment, and family background at a national level. With an eye toward equal access in all housing-related transactions, the regulation encompasses financing, rents, and sales of homes.
The act is reinforced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which examines complaints and tries to uphold fair housing standards across the U.S. In addition to the Fair Housing Act, other federal housing laws encourage and strengthen the concepts of fair housing. A more equitable housing landscape across the country is the result of these laws taken together.
Eviction rights, security deposit limits, and discrimination due to financial source, sexual orientation, or gender identity are just a few of the matters that are addressed by state and local laws in addition to federal regulations. To prevent excessive rent increases and guarantee housing affordability in high-demand areas, some cities implement rent control or stabilization laws. Local tenant rights could also include access to habitability standards, protections against eviction during bad weather, and the necessity for open communication between landlords and tenants. You can find more material about housing laws in your state online.
Common Compliance Challenges for Property Owners
Understanding common scenarios that may result in housing law violations and how to avoid them is equally critical as knowing about the regulations themselves. For example, several common challenges rental property owners and landlords face when striving to comply with fair housing laws can result from implicit unfairness or dependence on antiquated practices.
For some property managers and owners, tenant screening can be difficult as federal law forbids you from declining to rent to someone according to their disability status, age, or familial situation. So, it would be an example of housing discrimination to choose ahead of time that you will only rent to individuals without children or that you will not rent to anyone in their 20s.
When marketing the property, property owners and managers could want to advertise a specific kind of renter, which might deliver the same issue. State and federal housing laws are commonly violated by these approaches. Recognizing these difficulties and adjusting your screening and marketing methods will help you to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all prospective residents.
Best Practices for Ensuring Compliance
The best way to prevent unintended prejudice is to create criteria for tenant screenings and make a standardized application process, both of which are important to ensure that your property management strategies comply with fair housing laws. Other best practices to ensure compliance include:
- Use inclusive language in rental advertisements to get rid of discriminatory remarks or preferences.
- For every application, be consistent in delivering the same information, following the same procedures, and completing the same follow-up actions.
- Guarantee that your lease terms, laws, and policies are equally fair to all tenants.
- Stay updated about reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and respond to such requests promptly and appropriately.
- Keep detailed records of all applications, discussions, and choices, noting your reasons for approvals and denials in case of future disputes or inquiries.
- When producing policies or addressing difficult circumstances, consult an attorney or legal expert.
Maintaining consistency is helped by creating and adhering to a written non-discrimination policy that clearly states your dedication to Fair Housing compliance.
Property Management Companies in Fair Housing Compliance
Experienced property managers should know all appropriate local, state, and federal regulations. Furthermore, as trained professionals, they have practices to ensure that your tenant communications, assessments, records, and other activities comply with these regulations. This can give you self-possession and help reduce the risk of discrimination claims altogether.
Building a Fair Housing Culture
With so much vulnerability in an investment property, you need to be aware of the laws governing rental properties, housing, and related problems to avoid legal traps with greater ease. Property owners can help ensure equitable treatment for all tenants by recognizing and complying with fair housing laws.
The expertise to deal with the complexity of fair housing legislation in Ozark and vicinity is offered by collaborating with an experienced property management company such as Real Property Management Momentum. Contact us right away or call 417-324-7601 to gather 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.
