July 17, 2015
A press release on the FHA/HUD official site announces discrimination charges against the owners of a housing complex in South Dakota. According to HUDNo.15-091, the owners violated the Fair Housing Act by, “initially refusing to allow a resident with disabilities to have an emotional support animal. HUDs charge alleges that even after the resident obtained a support dog, the owners, Robert Christensen, Linda Christensen, and Viking Villas, LLC, placed overly burdensome requirements on the residents use of the dog.”
At first glance this case may seem to have nothing to do with FHA home loans, FHA refinance loans or related issues. But for borrowers who want to purchase condo units with FHA loans, or for those who purchase a home in a community with a homeowner’s association, issues like these are quite relevant.
Imagine what would happen if a borrower wanted to purchase a condo unit in a property that had a similar type of restriction or discrimination against support animals? A borrower’s wasted time and effort in such cases is the least of the problems–reporting and stopping such discrimination wherever it may occur is a serious effort for all involved. But sometimes, as the HUD press release shows, these violations of the Fair Housing Act do occur.
According to the press release, “The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations in policies or practices when a person with a disability requires such accommodations, including granting waivers to ‘no-pet’ policies for persons who require assistance or support animals. Additionally, the law makes it unlawful to make housing unavailable to any person because of a disability.
Housing providers need to understand that many persons with disabilities need support animals to assist them in lifes daily functions, said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, as quoted on the HUD official site. He adds, HUD remains committed to taking action when it learns that housing providers are failing to meet their obligation to provide reasonable accommodations when needed.
Any potential FHA borrower (or any other person seeking housing, for that matter) who experiences this kind of discrimination is urged to report it at once to the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to www.hud.gov/fairhousing according to the HUD official site.
Do you have questions about FHA loans? Ask us in the comments section.
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.
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