October 8, 2012
On the FHA/HUD official site you’ll find a press release announcing a settlement in a discrimination case against a Pennsylvania company that allegedly discriminated against families because of their national origin.
According to HUDNo.12-160, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a Conciliation Agreement with the Lancaster, PA-based Ecklin Group that will end an alleged policy of refusing to rent to Burmese refugee families.”
The press release adds, “The agreement is the result of a complaint HUD initiated against the Group after company staff allegedly failed to renew the leases of three Burmese families because of their national origin, and made statements to various people that the group would no longer accept rental referrals for refugees that were referred by Lutheran Refugee Services.The company denied the allegation.”
We report cases like these because many borrowers may not realize the Fair Housing Act also pertains to the process of buying a home. No lender, real estate agent, or other professional associated with the housing industry can lawfully discriminate against a house hunter or potential borrower in such a way. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to deny housing or impose different rental terms and conditions based on disability, race, national origin, color, religion, sex, or familial status.
According to the HUD press release,
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.
Browse by Date: