I don't post all the feedback sent by the Fair Housing Defense Blog readers. Yes, I review the comments. Some of the emailers ask good and helpful questions. Some seek my legal intervention. Others indicate I don't know what I am talking (well, writing) about. Cost of doing business in cyberspace, I guess. I do, however, want to respond to a handful of recent inquiries:
- I am a lawyer who represents and counsels ownership, management, and leasing office employees. Many residents (who think they have fair housing claims) ask me to work with them. I can't. Not because it is a true legal conflict of interest (unless they want to sue one of my clients), but because I have taken the position to only represent management. The point is that I want my clients to know that the legal positions I am taking in one case are not going to be reversed in another matter. What I tell residents is simply: please try to engage with your leasing office. If that fails, you can always try a local fair housing advocacy group (there are many). Finally, you can also reach out to HUD or your state, city, or county fair housing agency/commission.
- Yes, I do fair housing training. Fair housing training is an excellent way to attempt to avoid the real need to speak with a lawyer like me – after a discrimination complaint is filed. Service and/or companion animals are the hot fair housing topic in 2016. It is an issue that is not going to go away. Right now I am also dealing with delays in responding to reasonable accommodation and reasonable modification requests.
- Back in April, HUD issued new guidelines for criminal screening of housing applicants. Again, what HUD issued was guidelines. Not a new law passed by Congress or a judicial opinion. I do think, however, in light of the HUD guidelines, every apartment management company should take a look and review your criminal screening matrix. There will be cases filed based on what HUD released. You don't want to be the test case. I am reviewing these screens for a number of clients. It is usually inexpensive. Again, my accounting department wants you to be the test court case, but you don't.
Thanks for reading the Blog. As I work at a big law firm, my firm keeps stats on everything – including how many hits the site gets month. I am always astounded (and very much appreciate) the steady uptick in the numbers each and every year.
I try not to lecture on any point, but I do end each post with: Just A Thought.
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