Articles in Category: Fair Housing Act

January 5, 2017

Fair Housing Complaints: A Reader Question

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law designed to prevent discrimination in all phases of the housing process, whether buying or renting. A reader got in touch with us recently in the comments section to complain about a fair housing issue. “My Mom lives in low income housing and has been discriminated against due to her disability, HPHA not wanting to accommodate her by installing her AC or allowing her to install it herself due to her asthma and breathing problems doctor orders/note saying that she needs this to help with her disabilityshe is being wrongfully evicted, now homeless and is a victim of discrimination and violence against women act Due to HPHA and their property manager…” While there’s no specific question mentioned in this comment aside from, “can | more...

December 20, 2016

Fair Housing Case Settlement In Nevada

By Joe Wallace

As the FHA/HUD official site says, “Disability is the most common basis of complaint filed with HUD and its partner agencies. Last year alone, HUD considered more than 4,500 disability-related complaints or nearly 55 percent of all fair housing complaints.” That is one reason why we report Fair Housing cases here-these complaints are not limited to rental markets, and even if they were, such discrimination affects a potential borrower’s house hunting prospects. If you are forced to relocate because of job or family issues and need to purchase a home while renting in the meantime, your entire experience may be affected negatively by housing discrimination. And sometimes the only way to stop continued illegal practices is for the injured party to file a report and have the matter investigated by | more...

November 14, 2016

HUD Announces Fair Housing Act Charges, Settlements

By Joe Wallace

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 | more...

November 7, 2016

HUD Announces Settlement In Illinois Fair Housing Case

By Joe Wallace

A press release on the HUD official site announces that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has reached an agreement between the East Chicago Housing Authority and a fair housing organization, “resolving multiple complaints of housing discrimination” according to the press release. Acting on behalf residents in the area, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law alleged the East Chicago Housing Authority violated the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, “with respect to the relocation of residents at West Calumet Housing Complex due to soil surrounding the complex being contaminated with lead and arsenic.” The HUD press release states that, according to the complaint, “the housing authority engaged in discriminatory housing practices in its | more...

November 2, 2016

HUD Brings Charges Against Ohio Housing Authority

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is bringing charges against the Ohio Housing Authority for what it says are violations of the Fair Housing Act. At first glance, a Fair Housing Act case against a state or local housing authority might not seem to have much to do with FHA mortgage loans, but the fact is that fair housing issues affect people at all levels of the home loan process, whether planning or actually purchasing. The family or individual that needs to rent, utilize public housing, or take other steps to find or use housing before purchasing a home is entitled to the same rights as those currently purchasing. Violations of those rights can negatively affect a potential borrower’s ability to find an purchase a home, which is why | more...

October 4, 2016

HUD Charges Manhattan Condo Owner With Fair Housing Act Violations

By Joe Wallace

When purchasing a condo unit with an FHA mortgage, borrowers may be subject to additional legal commitments associated with condo association agreements, which many condo purchasers must agree to as a condition of the purchase of their property. But sometimes the provisions of those agreements can, depending on how they are interpreted, run afoul of the Fair Housing Act. One such case came to light recently on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s official site in a recent press release titled. According to HUDNo.16-151, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it is charging a Manhattan property owner with violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against a resident with disabilities who required the use of an assistance animal.” Under the Fair Housing Act, those | more...

October 3, 2016

HUD Awards Millions To Promote Fair Housing

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing laws affect house hunters and potential FHA loan applicants at all levels of their search for housing. Whether you are ready to fill out a loan application to purchase property, or need to rent an apartment as an interim solution while you search for a home, Fair Housing laws are there to protect borrowers from discrimination in the housing process. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a $38 million initiative designed to help national and local agencies fight housing discrimination. The funding will support more than 100 agencies. “This year, HUD provided competitive funding under three notices to organizations that support a wide range of fair housing enforcement, education and outreach activities” says the press release HUDNo.16-150, which adds, “These grants allow the groups to | more...

What You Need To Know About Your FHA Home Loan

September 27, 2016

HUD Announces Settlement In Mississippi Fair Housing Complaint

By Joe Wallace

Zoning laws don’t come up much in our discussions about FHA mortgages, but when they do it’s usually about whether a property is eligible for an FHA loan because it is in a mixed-zoning area, or there is some zoning law concern that might affect the sale or purchase of a property. But recently zoning laws came up in a completely different way, as we learn from the FHA/HUD official site. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a Fair Housing case alleging that zoning laws were applied in a discriminatory fashion. According a press release at www.HUD.gov, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with Ridgeland, Mississippi to resolve complaints the city violated the Fair Housing Act when | more...

September 22, 2016

HUD Announces Final Rule For Equal Access

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a new final rule that promises important protections for all Americans seeking housing, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to a press release on the HUD official site, the new final rule is known as, “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity“. The press release says the final rule affects everything from FHA mortgage loan programs to housing services and benefits. “Following what had previously been a practice encouraged by HUD, providers that operate single-sex projects using funds awarded through the Departments Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) will now be required to provide all individuals, including transgender individuals and other individuals who do not identify with the sex | more...

September 16, 2016

HUD Announces Fair Housing Protections For Borrowers With Limited English Proficiency

By Joe Wallace

It’s known as “LEP” or “limited English proficiency, and has been an issue that directly affects legally binding agreements including home loans for as long as there have been such arrangements made in the United States. But now, LEP is being addressed directly through guidance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as described in a recent press release on the HUD official site. “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued ‘Limited English Proficiency’ (LEP) guidance that addresses how the Fair Housing Act would apply to claims of housing discrimination brought by people because they do not speak, read, or write English proficiently. More than 25 million people in the United States do not communicate proficiently in English.” The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal | more...