Articles Tagged With: Fair Housing Act

March 5, 2020

HUD Announces Settlement In California Fair Housing Sexual Harassment Case

Some renters and house hunters are not aware that sexual harassment from someone at any stage of the housing process can be considered a violation of federal law. Did you know that the Fair Housing Act forbids landlords and others involved in the housing industry from sexually harassing those in search of housing (bought or rented)? A recent settlement announced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development highlights this issue. According to HUD, the agency recently approved a conciliation agreement, “requiring Ronoel Romero, Blanca Romero, and Mario Prudencio, the owners and manager of a Bakersfield, California, apartment complex, to pay $14,500 to several female residents”. The required payment is part of the settlement. Fair Housing Act laws forbid housing providers from sexually harassing tenants. The prohibition includes “creating a | more...

HUD Begins Foreclosure Relief For FHA Borrowers Affected By The Coronavirus Outbreak

March 2, 2020

HUD Announces Settlement In California Fair Housing Discrimination Case

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a conciliation agreement in a California Fair Housing complaint alleging housing discrimination against those with children. Oberhauser Trust and its leasing agent, First Core Group, Inc. (doing business as Keller Williams Realty, in Glendale, California) were named in a complaint alleging denial of housing for a father of two; according to the HUD official site, this case was brought to the agency’s attention after the father was denied housing. According to a HUD press release, “…a father of two and his father-in-law filed a complaint alleging that the father was denied the opportunity to rent a condominium because he has two young daughters who would be living with him part-time.” The complaint alleges that an application to rent a condo | more...

FHA Announces Modified Appraisal Rules During Coronavirus Outbreak

January 29, 2020

HUD Announces New Policy On Service Animals

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced updated guidance regarding the use of service animals and emotional support animals as it relates to Fair Housing Act issues. The issue of support animals might not seem to be related to the purchase of real estate with an FHA home loan, not at first. But Fair Housing rules do affect all stages of the house-hunting process including renting a home while you are looking for one to purchase with the help of a realtor, or on your own. The HUD announcement discusses a need for reasonable accommodation in housing for those who need service animals or emotional support animals. The agency has released an “Assistance Animal Notice” designed to help all parties understand how to best comply with Fair Housing | more...

November 19, 2019

HUD Announces Fair Housing Act Violation Settlement With Oglethorpe Square Apartments, GA and Gene B. Glick Company, Inc.

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a housing discrimination case involving Oglethorpe Square Apartments of Savannah, Georgia, and Gene B. Glick Company, Inc., of Indianapolis, Indiana. Housing discrimination creates unfair conditions for those who need to rent or buy a home and thanks to the Fair Housing Act there is recourse for those who experience discrimination at any stage of the housing process (see below for information on how to report housing discrimination). Many times, the only people who have the power to stop further violations of federal law are the victims of the discrimination; without reporting the illegal activity, it can go on uncontested for a long time. It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century we must still read about the | more...

November 6, 2019

HUD Announces Million Dollar Settlement With Bridgeport Housing Authority Over Disability Discrimination Claims

By Bruce Reichstein

No matter what stage you are at in the house-hunting process, discrimination has a chilling effect on your efforts to find a home. It does not matter if you are renting or buying, discrimination corrupts every stage of the housing process. That is one reason we report on Fair Housing cases here; borrowers sometimes don’t fully understand their rights or the fact that in order to prevent future discrimination tomorrow, the victims of today’s Fair Housing Act violations have to report the illegal activity to call it to the attention of HUD. This is vital in any case; in today’s action, HUD did not get the initial complaint from an outside source (which seems rare for this type of Fair Housing Act issue) but rather from a HUD compliance review | more...

October 1, 2019

HUD Brings Fair Housing Act Charges Against New York Landlord

By Bruce Reichstein

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced charges of violation of the Fair Housing Act against a landlord in Hamburg, New York. The landlord, named in the HUD complaint as Thomas Frawley, is charged with “refusing to rent to and making discriminatory statements about families with children” according to a press release at the FHA/HUD official site. Fair Housing Act laws make it illegal to discriminate against those seeking housing (rental or purchase) because of family status including having children below the age of 18 years old. There are certain exceptions for age-restricted housing; the HUD official site reminds, “Housing may exclude children only if it meets the Fair Housing Act’s exemption” for certain types of housing meant only for older tenants. The charges in this case | more...

September 17, 2019

HUD Brings Charges Against Housing Design And Construction Companies

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced charges against companies in New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia for alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act. We report about Fair Housing cases in this space to remind house hunters of their Fair Housing Act rights, but it’s not as common to report on a case that spans multiple companies and states the way this case does. HUD’s charge involves accusations of housing discrimination associated with the design and construction “of a 40-unit North 8 Condominium development in Brooklyn, New York, in accordance with the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act”. Those named in the HUD Fair Housing Act charges include Toll Brothers, Inc.; Toll Land XIII Limited Partner; Lendlease (US) Construction LMB, Inc; Greenberg Farrow Architecture, Inc.; and 51 | more...

September 3, 2019

HUD Announces Fair Housing Charges Against Colorado Landlords

By Bruce Reichstein

Housing discrimination can affect any stage of the house hunting process. And even when that discrimination occurs with a rental property, it can seriously affect the ability to locate and purchase a home. House hunters who need to rent during their journey to home ownership have it difficult enough with all the paperwork and preparation in the home buying process. They don’t need violations of federal law making the process harder, and sometimes the victims of such discrimination are the only ones who have the power to stop future vioations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced Fair Housing Act charges for owners and manager of a complex in Gunnison, Colorado. David B. Welch, John H.Welch, and Ruth E. Welch are all named as Respondents in | more...

August 1, 2019

FHA Home Loan Rules And Fair Housing Laws

By Bruce Reichstein

We report on Fair Housing cases from time to time, a reminder to those looking for housing that there are federal laws that protect against discrimination in housing. But what are the FHA home loan rules in this area? Did you know that the FHA loan program has specific instructions to the lender regarding Fair Housing laws? Those instructions are found in HUD 4000.1, the FHA Single-Family Home Loan Handbook. Page 120 of that handbook instructs the lender, “The Mortgagee is required to comply with all federal, state and local laws, rules, and requirements applicable to the mortgage transaction, including all applicable disclosure requirements and the requirements of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including those related to: Truth in Lending Act (TILA); and Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act (RESPA).” | more...

July 30, 2019

HUD Approves California Housing Discrimination Settlement

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a California housing discrimination case involving complaints of “redlining” against CIT Group, Inc., and CIT Bank, N.A., doing business as OneWest Bank. Investopedia.com defines redlining as “an unethical practice” that can include denying mortgages, mortgage insurance, or other financial services based on location (the justification being that such locations are “bad neighborhoods”) rather than “an individual’s qualifications and creditworthiness.” This practice was made illegal by the Fair Housing Act. Specifically, the Fair Housing Act makes it a violation of federal law for discriminating on the basis of race or national origin to include the practice of denying credit to residents of predominantly minority neighborhoods. “Homeownership is the foundation of the American dream,” said Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant | more...