March 2, 2020
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 unit was denied; the owner and leasing agent deny that any discrimination took place. However, they both agreed to the settlement.
Fair Housing laws make it illegal to deny a rental or sale of housing to those with children. That includes “refusing to negotiate and making discriminatory statements based on familial status” according to HUD.
“Families today face enough challenges without being denied a place to call home because they have children,” said Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who was quoted in the HUD press release.
She adds, “HUD will continue working to ensure that housing providers meet their obligation under the Fair Housing Act to treat home seekers with children equally.”
The agreement requires the owners and brokerage agency to pay $10,000 to the father. It also requires revisions to the owner and broker’s housing policies, “to contain provisions that there are no preferences against renting or selling properties to families with children”. Fair housing training is also required as a condition of the settlement.
If you have experienced housing discrimination as a potential renter or buyer, file a complaint with the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Call them at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints can be filed online at hud.gov/fair housing.
Bruce Reichstein has spent over three decades as an experienced FHA and VA home loan mortgage banker and underwriter where he was responsible for funding “Billions” in government backed mortgage loans. He is the Managing Editor for FHANewsblog.com where he educates homeowners on the specific guidelines for obtaining FHA guaranteed home loans.
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