Articles Tagged With: Fair Housing Act

June 8, 2022

HUD Announces More Fair Housing Funds

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has been very active on the Fair Housing front in 2022. A June 2022 press release by HUD announces even more funding to combat violations of the Fair Housing Act such as illegal discrimination in the housing process. Why so much activity in 2022? It’s thanks in part to language in the American Rescue Plan of 2021, which acknowledges that “fair housing enforcement and education and outreach services are an essential component of protecting persons from housing discrimination” in the United States. The latest move in supporting fair housing enforcement and awareness? HUD’s announcement of funding support for Fair Housing organizations “working to end housing discrimination” according to the press release. The funding is made possible via the HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Plan | more...

April 27, 2022

The End Of April Is The End Of Fair Housing Month 2022

By Joe Wallace

Saturday, April 30, 2022, is the last day of Fair Housing Month. But the advent of May doesn’t mean that the fight against housing discrimination comes to an end. The Department of Housing and Urban Development encourages all who may have experienced some form of discrimination in the housing process to come forward and report the incidents to the HUD Office of Housing and Equal Opportunity or FHEO. FHEO is responsible for enforcing the Fair Housing Act, but also the following laws that contribute to fair housing for all: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The | more...

April 21, 2022

HUD Announces Fair Housing Conciliation Agreement With Bank Of America

By Joe Wallace

Housing discrimination comes in many forms. The Fair Housing Act makes it a crime to discriminate against people at any stage in the housing process. You cannot be denied a loan, services, or assistance due to your race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other non-financial factor listed in the Fair Housing Act. Yet, discrimination persists, even among major corporate lenders and other industry players. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a Conciliation Agreement with Bank of America, N.A., “to resolve allegations of familial status and sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.” Bank of America, and one of its loan officers, “allegedly refused” to approve a home loan for a couple, “until after one of the applicants returned to work from maternity leave.” | more...

April 18, 2022

Applying For An FHA Mortgage With A Changed Name

By Joe Wallace

It is illegal under the Fair Housing Act to discriminate against a person who seeks housing because of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, family status, and any number of other non-financial issues. But in addition to the Fair Housing Act, there are certain Know Your Customer best practices required for both buying a home and renting that help establish the identity of the renter or buyer. Your lender will require you to verify your identity with a photo ID, tax documents, Social Security Number, and/or other identifiers. But what happens if the name on these documents isn’t the same as the name you have now or will have in the future? If you have a need for a legal name change these best practices can get a little complicated, and | more...

April 8, 2022

Fair Housing Month: HUD Pledges More Funds To Fight COVID-19 Discrimination

By Joe Wallace

April is Fair Housing Month, and it’s likely no coincidence that April is also the month HUD announced added funds from the American Rescue Plan to fund HUD Fair Housing actions to fight discrimination related to COVID-19. In a press release issued by the HUD official site, the agency announced an additional $3,285,353 in funding meant for organizations that qualify and can accept funding through the FHIP’s Private Enforcement Initiative. These added funds can be used for enforcement, awareness-raising, education, and outreach projects. This is the third time American Rescue Plan funds have been used to fight housing discrimination related to the Coronavirus pandemic. According to HUD, some $16 million has been distributed to more than sixty agencies working to fight this particular type of housing discrimination. “The COVID-19 pandemic | more...

April 1, 2022

HUD Celebrates Fair Housing Month

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development observes Fair Housing Month in April each year. Fair Housing Month always features a theme. In 2022 that theme is Fair Housing: More Than Just Words. It’s meant to raise awareness of the federal government’s commitment to ensuring fair housing opportunities are available to all who want them. In a press release discussing Fair Housing Month, HUD notes that equal opportunity for housing isn’t simply about finding a place to live without unnecessary barriers to entry. “(W)here we live impacts nearly every part of our lives,” according to HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, who is quoted in the press release. She adds, “Fair Housing Month is a time to recommit to our mission to promote fairness, inclusion, and justice in housing. This month | more...

March 28, 2022

HUD Announces Wisconsin Fair Housing Case

By Joe Wallace

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate against those who seek housing. Illegal discrimination includes sexual harassment, inappropriate questions about religion or orientation, family status, and much more. In spite of there being a federal law on the books that makes it a crime to discriminate at any stage of the housing process, some landlords, lenders, property owners, and property managers still insist on behavior that amounts to violations of this federal law. And all such violations bring a chilling effect to the entire industry including mortgage lending and real estate purchasing. One of the latest unfortunate examples of what we mean? The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced Fair Housing charges against Leaf Property Investment, LLC, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Owner Sam Leaf and | more...

March 23, 2022

HUD Announces New Fair Housing Initiative

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a major effort aimed at reducing violations of the Fair Housing Act in the home loan appraisal process. The agency has submitted a PAVE action plan to President Biden. PAVE is also known as the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity. This plan is designed to help end what the FHA and HUD describe as “racial bias in the home lending and appraisal process” and is considered by the designers to be one of the most ambitious Fair Housing reforms in this part of the housing industry. PAVE is a multi-agency cooperative effort and includes cabinet-level leadership as well as independent entities. According to the HUD press release, the PAVE task force was announced on June 1, 2021, | more...

February 10, 2022

HUD Announces Fair Housing Settlement In Las Vegas Discrimination Complaint

By Bruce Reichstein

Fair housing laws are sadly necessary, even in the 21st century. While some may labor under the misguided notion that American society has evolved away from the need for the Fair Housing Act, the Department of Housing and Urban Development continue to investigate Fair Housing Act violations. One of the most recent? HUD announced in February 2022 that a conciliation agreement had been reached the agency and Las Vegas landlords accused of housing discrimination against people with disabilities. According to a HUD press release, the agreement was reached between “Las Vegas landlord, Anwar Malik, and Malik’s property manager, Ahmad Sharif-Yazdi, to resolve allegations of discrimination brought by a prospective tenant with a disability”. The alleged discrimination in this case was a refusal to rent property based on the applicant having | more...

December 29, 2021

HUD Announces Settlement In California Fair Housing Case

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced a voluntary settlement agreement in a Fair Housing Act complaint in California. A press release on the HUD official site announces a Conciliation/Voluntary Compliance Agreement with National Community Renaissance, National Community Renaissance of California, Desert Meadows Housing Partners, Victorville Housing Partners, and Cathedral Family Housing Partners, management agents, and owners of four HUD-subsidized apartment complexes in Southern California. The agreement is meant to close the book on complaints that the property managers “refused to rent to or provide adequate language services for applicants with limited English proficiency (LEP)” according to the HUD official site. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for housing providers to discriminate because of national origin at any stage in the housing process. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Act contains additional | more...