Articles Tagged With: Fair Housing Laws

August 22, 2016

HUD Charges Georgia Landlords With Fair Housing Act Violations

The Fair Housing Act was passed to protect those in search of housing, whether they need to rent or purchase. Discrimination against a renter or potential renter is just as serious as discrimination against those who wish to purchase housing; many who want to buy a home must seek out rental property in the meantime and violations of the Fair Housing Act affect these renters who intend to be owners. The Department of Housing and Urban Development aggressively pursues cases of housing discrimination regardless of renter/buyer status and one of the most recent cases stems from a complaint lodged by a single mother in Georgia. According to a press release on the HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it is charging a | more...

August 1, 2016

HUD Announces Settlement In Pennsylvania Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a Pennsylvania housing discrimination case involving a loan applicant on maternity leave. According to the press release on the HUD official site, “…a Conciliation Agreement with Philadelphia-based Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania and Providence, Rhode Island-based Citizens Bank, collectively known as Citizens Bank, settling allegations that the bank violated the Fair Housing Act when it told a female applicant that she would need to return to work before her application for a home equity line of credit could be approved.” Fair Housing Act laws state that it is illegal to discriminate against borrowers, “in the terms, conditions, or privileges associated with the sale or rental of a dwelling on the basis of familial status”, which includes denying a mortgage | more...

April 19, 2016

HUD Files Discrimination Charges Against Kansas Landlord

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing laws don’t just protect home loan applicants. They also protect renters and house/home hunters in the process of trying to find a place to live. You may not think that a housing discrimination case against a renter or potential renter has much to do with FHA loans, but consider the large number of people every year who must relocate due to employment or education needs and it’s clear that even for those who haven’t committed to an FHA mortgage yet, fair housing issues can affect your journey to a new place to live. That’s one reason why we report on cases like the recent HUD charges brought against a Kansas landlord. According to a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, ” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban | more...

March 25, 2016

HUD Reaches Settlement In California Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

Housing discrimination affects people in all stages of the journey to find a home. It doesn’t matter whether you are a renter, a prospective borrower, or somewhere in between; the rules that make up the Fair Housing Act apply across the board for those looking for a place to live. The FHA/HUD official site recently published a press release announcing a settlement in a California housing discrimination case; sometimes the victims of housing discrimination are the only ones who can prevent further discrimination from happening. Those who report their experiences do a service to themselves and to future borrowers and renters by helping to end illegal practices such as the ones mentioned in HUDNo.16-035: “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with a Cupertino, | more...

March 3, 2016

Settlement Reached In Kansas “Redlining” Mortgage Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a settlement in a mortgage discrimination case involving First Federal Bank of Kansas City. According to a press release at the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with First Federal Bank of Kansas City to resolve allegations of redlining against African American mortgage applicants. HUD and two fair housing organizations claimed the lenders designated service area effectively excluded African American neighborhoods, limiting residential mortgage lending to persons based upon their race.” Federal law makes it illegal to discriminate against mortgage loan applicants or anyone seeking housing because of their race. According to the press release, “Homeownership should never be affected by the color of a persons skin. This agreement helps | more...

January 8, 2016

FHA Loans, Fair Housing Laws And Your Rights: One Family’s Fair Housing Story

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing laws ensure that all who seek housing get fair and equal treatment. It doesn’t matter if you are a renter, a house hunter, or somewhere in between renting and owning; fair housing laws apply to you and assign certain rights and responsibilities depending on which side of the transaction you are on. We write about fair housing cases from time to time because acts of discrimination can and sometimes do affect the FHA loan process. The people discriminated against are sometimes the only ones standing in the way of future violations of fair housing laws–those who report the illegal treatment can get it stopped. The video above is published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and is part of a HUD video project aimed at educating | more...

Can I buy a manufactured home with an FHA loan?

October 19, 2015

Fair Housing Laws: Support Animals And Discrimination

By Joe Wallace

On the FHA/HUD official site this week there was a press release announcing HUD charges against New York City landlords for alleged discriminatory housing practices involving tenants with support animals. According to the press release HUDNo. 15-129, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging the owners and landlords of a high-rise complex in New York City with violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to allow a resident with disabilities to have an emotional support animal. HUDs charge alleges that Friedman Residence, LLC (formerly called the Aurora), Common Ground Management Corporation, and The Actors Fund of America refused to accept that the resident required a dog to cope with the symptoms of his disability.” The HUD press release adds that Fair Housing | more...

October 8, 2015

HUD Charges Pennsylvania Landlord With Discrimination Against Children

By Joe Wallace

In a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, you’ll find the following statement about Fair Housing laws: “The Fair Housing Actmakes it unlawful to deny housing because a family has children under the age of 18 and to make statements that discriminate against families with children. Housing may exclude families with children only if it qualifies as housing for older persons under the Act. The Fair Housing Act permits the familynot the landlordto decide what unit is appropriate or safe for them.” This is mentioned in connection with a case brought by HUD against a Pennsylvania landlord. In a press release (HUDNo.15-123) published recently, we learn, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged a Pennsylvania landlord with housing discrimination for allegedly | more...

July 10, 2015

HUD Announces Final Rule On Fair Housing

By Joe Wallace

The FHA/HUD official site has announced a final rule that will promote and clarify fair housing requirements. A press release titled, “HUD Announces Final Rule On Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” announces both new procedures and simplified fair housing rules. According to the press release, the new final rule will “equip communities that receive HUD funding with data and tools to help them meet long-standing fair housing obligations in their use of HUD funds. HUD will also provide additional guidance and technical assistance to facilitate local decision-making on fair housing priorities and goals for affordable housing and community development.” For many decades, the communities that receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are required to observe fair housing rules so that all eligible applicants can receive help getting | more...

June 18, 2015

FHA Loans For LGBT Borrowers: Equal Access Guaranteed

By Joe Wallace

During the month of June, the FHA/HUD official site has posted several things about Fair Housing rules that pertain to members of the LGBT community. Did you know that FHA and HUD rules require equal access for all financially qualified applicants and that you cannot be discriminated against in the housing process for non-financial reasons, including identifying as LGBT? And that’s not limited to FHA loans or refinance loans. According to the HUDdle blog at HUD.gov,” In 2010, HUD formally adopted the principle that gender identity discrimination is sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. This means that when HUD receives a fair housing complaint that alleges discrimination because someone does not conform to gender stereotypes, HUD now begins a formal investigation under the Fair Housing Act.” Since issuing this | more...