November 14, 2016
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a new Fair Housing Act case in Florida, and settlements of similar cases in two other states. According to a press release at the HUD official site, ” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging landlords in South Florida with discrimination against tenants with disabilities. Meanwhile, HUD is announcing separate agreements with landlords in Nevada and Massachusetts resolving similar charges.”
According to the press release HUDNo.16-169, “HUD charged the owner of Hillcrest East Building No. 22, a multifamily development in Hollywood, Florida; the properties management company, Rhodes Management; and a previous president of the homeowners association with housing discrimination for failing to make reasonable accommodations, publishing discriminatory notices and statements, and attempting to intimidate and retaliate against two family members who filed a housing discrimination complaint.”
Fair Housing Act laws state that it’s unlawful to discriminate, “based on disability in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, including refusing to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services” according to the press release. The release adds that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits such discrimination by any program receiving federal funding.
Discrimination against people with disabilities continues to be the most common type of housing discrimination complaint we receive each year, said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who was quoted in the press release. He adds, Its unacceptable and the cases were announcing today reflect HUDs commitment to making sure housing opportunities are available to every American, including those with disabilities.
HUD (and the agency’s partners) handled more than 4,500 disability-related complaints which the HUD official site says equals approximately 55 percent of all fair housing complaints.
The two resolved cases mentioned in the release were in Massachusetts and Nevada, and included voluntary compliance agreements in both cases. If you believe you have been the victim of housing discrimination whether in renting or purchasing a place to live, file a complaint by contacting HUDs Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY).
Joe Wallace has been specializing in military and personal finance topics since 1995. His work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association. He was Managing editor for www.valoans.com for (8) years and is currently the Associate Editor for FHANewsblog.com.
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