Articles Tagged With: Fair Housing Laws

November 17, 2017

HUD Charges Kansas Property Owners With Fair Housing Violations

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is charging a Kansas landlord with Fair Housing Act violations after allegations of sexual harassment. According to a press release on the HUD official site, the agency “announced today it is charging the owner and landlord of several rental properties in Wichita, Kansas, and his wife, who co-owned one of the properties, with housing discrimination after the landlord allegedly sexually harassed two female tenants at his properties. HUD’s charge further alleges that he also made discriminatory statements based on one of the women’s race”. The Fair Housing Act prohibits a wide range of discriminatory practices in housing including sexual harassment. According to the HUD official site, it is a violation of Fair Housing laws to “discriminate against individuals on the basis of | more...

October 4, 2017

HUD Announces Settlement In Fair Housing Complaints Against The State Of Maryland

By Bruce Reichstein

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a Fair Housing case involving complaints against the State of Maryland. According to HUDNo.17-088, the agency has “…announced an agreement to resolve a discrimination complaint brought by fair housing advocates against Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) challenging the fairness of the State’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.” Under the terms of the agreement, new or modified policies, incentives, and “more flexible program rules” will be enacted to “streamline the creation of affordable housing in higher opportunity neighborhoods in the Baltimore region”. The origin of the case involved a complaint filed with HUD in 2011. The Baltimore Regional Housing Campaign (BRHC) reported to HUD that the state of Maryland, “maintained a policy requiring local jurisdictions to | more...

April 17, 2017

April Is National Fair Housing Month

By Joe Wallace

National Fair Housing Month is a bit more than half over, but it’s an important time to raise awareness of Fair Housing laws, how they affect mortgage loan applicants, and how such laws affect renters as well as borrowers. Do you know about your Fair Housing Act rights under the law? The FHA/HUD official site reminds its’ readers, “The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting, buying, or securing financing for any housing. The prohibitions specifically cover discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and the presence of children”. You read that correctly-as a renter, a buyer, or an applicant, your rights include equal consideration regardless of the presence or absence of any of the factors listed above. Fair Housing laws do have | more...

January 18, 2017

Fair Housing Issues: Discrimination Against Children

By Joe Wallace

There are many reasons why we report on Fair Housing Act laws. Violations of Fair Housing laws don’t just directly affect the borrower who is trying to purchase a home; such violations can hurt renters who are in the planning stages of a home loan or those who are actively looking as renters who have relocated to a new job market, etc. Families with children looking to rent or buy with an FHA loan (or any other type of mortgage) may experience discrimination based on family status. One recent example discussed on the HUD home page makes it clear that people from all walks of life may experience this type of illegal discrimination. Consider a recent example in Wichita, Kansas, where credit history, payment status, or other financial qualifications were | more...

January 5, 2017

Fair Housing Complaints: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law designed to prevent discrimination in all phases of the housing process, whether buying or renting. A reader got in touch with us recently in the comments section to complain about a fair housing issue. “My Mom lives in low income housing and has been discriminated against due to her disability, HPHA not wanting to accommodate her by installing her AC or allowing her to install it herself due to her asthma and breathing problems doctor orders/note saying that she needs this to help with her disabilityshe is being wrongfully evicted, now homeless and is a victim of discrimination and violence against women act Due to HPHA and their property manager…” While there’s no specific question mentioned in this comment aside from, “can | more...

November 2, 2016

HUD Brings Charges Against Ohio Housing Authority

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is bringing charges against the Ohio Housing Authority for what it says are violations of the Fair Housing Act. At first glance, a Fair Housing Act case against a state or local housing authority might not seem to have much to do with FHA mortgage loans, but the fact is that fair housing issues affect people at all levels of the home loan process, whether planning or actually purchasing. The family or individual that needs to rent, utilize public housing, or take other steps to find or use housing before purchasing a home is entitled to the same rights as those currently purchasing. Violations of those rights can negatively affect a potential borrower’s ability to find an purchase a home, which is why | more...

What You Need To Know About Your FHA Home Loan

September 27, 2016

HUD Announces Settlement In Mississippi Fair Housing Complaint

By Joe Wallace

Zoning laws don’t come up much in our discussions about FHA mortgages, but when they do it’s usually about whether a property is eligible for an FHA loan because it is in a mixed-zoning area, or there is some zoning law concern that might affect the sale or purchase of a property. But recently zoning laws came up in a completely different way, as we learn from the FHA/HUD official site. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a Fair Housing case alleging that zoning laws were applied in a discriminatory fashion. According a press release at www.HUD.gov, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with Ridgeland, Mississippi to resolve complaints the city violated the Fair Housing Act when | more...

September 16, 2016

HUD Announces Fair Housing Protections For Borrowers With Limited English Proficiency

By Joe Wallace

It’s known as “LEP” or “limited English proficiency, and has been an issue that directly affects legally binding agreements including home loans for as long as there have been such arrangements made in the United States. But now, LEP is being addressed directly through guidance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as described in a recent press release on the HUD official site. “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued ‘Limited English Proficiency’ (LEP) guidance that addresses how the Fair Housing Act would apply to claims of housing discrimination brought by people because they do not speak, read, or write English proficiently. More than 25 million people in the United States do not communicate proficiently in English.” The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal | more...

September 14, 2016

HUD To Publish New Final Rule And Fair Housing Act Guidance

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is set to publish a new final rule that, among other things, extends Fair Housing protections to victims of domestic violence and sexual harassment. According to a press release on the HUD official site, the agency is “formalizing legal standards under the Fair Housing Act for sexual and other forms of harassment in housing. In addition, HUD is issuing Fair Housing Act guidance on local nuisance ordinances that may lead to housing discrimination against survivors of domestic violence and other persons in need of emergency services.” These are important protections for those seeking FHA home loans (or any other type of mortgage) but also for renters, house hunters, etc. According to the press release, “HUDs final Harassment Rule is titled Quid Pro Quo | more...

September 9, 2016

HUD Announces Fair Housing Settlement With City Of Phoenix

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced progress in a fair housing issue involving the city of Phoenix, Arizona. According to a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced today an agreement between the City of Phoenix, Arizona and two fair housing organizations resolving multiple complaints of housing discrimination. The Southwest Fair Housing Council (SFHC) and the Arizona Fair Housing Center (AFHC) alleged Phoenix violated the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in its administration of the City’s federally funded Housing Choice Voucher program.” The press release goes on to say that complaints filed by | more...