Property management has a direct connection with the Fair housing laws. The Fair Housing law of 1968 was enacted to ensure fair and equal housing opportunities for the protected classes. As this law prohibits discrimination of all sorts against tenants and vice versa, there are many pitfalls you can encounter if you show negligence to these laws
As a property manager, your primary responsibility is to stay neutral and process candidates based on their documentation and the company’s policies. The Fair Housing laws have many do’s and don’t’s for such processes, as well as for the company policies. If you are not in compliance with the Fair Housing law, your tenants or potential tenants might sue you or your company for discriminatory acts. It can come with long and time-consuming procedures to prove your innocence and unintentional occurrence of the act, also it can be a heavy cost for you and your company. You may have to pay heavy fines to the tenant for such crimes.
Reasons to stay up-to-date with Fair Housing Rules
The Fair Housing law has expanded and evolved over the years. It now covers and stands against many other acts of discrimination which are complicated and confusing in many ways. There are terms and policies, dos and don’t. Hence, it’s critically important for housing agents and property management companies to stay up-to-date with the Fair Housing Law.
Here are some reasons to help you understand:
1. To avoid violation of the law
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law that must be followed. Remember that federal law is not a choice but an obligation. And since this law evolves and frequently changes, it’s very important to make sure that you always update yourself with these new laws. Because failure to do so and to follow the law is a direct violation of the law.
Violation of these laws is followed by heavy penalties that the company will have to pay. More than that, it will be a big hit to the company’s profile in the industry.
2. To Pass Fair Housing testers
It’s common for HUD to hire paid testers to check if the housing agencies are in compliance with the laws. These testers are discreet and might be any of your clients. And these testers are looking for loopholes in the process, so a single red flag can come costly to you.
If extreme discrimination has been seen, it might harm your career as a housing agent or even take a license from the company. Thus making it extremely important to stay up to date with Fair Housing Rules.
Final words
There are many ways you can educate yourself and your team to stay updated with these laws. An effective way would be to join Fair housing webinars available online, or source the content of these webinars to share with your team later to check at their convenience.
