Is Hoarding a Fair Housing Issue? What Every Property Manager Needs to Know

Duration: 60 minutes

Speaker: Doug Chasick

PURCHASE OPTIONS

Individual Purchase Options
On-Demand Available On-Demand. Watch the webinar recording multiple times for 180 days.	$199
Transcript (PDF) PDF transcript of webinar with handouts will be emailed. Available in 7-10 business days, after Live Event. Never Expires.	$179

ABOUT THE EVENT

You've walked into a unit and felt it - that immediate tightening in your chest. Floor-to-ceiling boxes. Blocked exits. Potential fire hazards. Every instinct says safety risk. But federal law may say disability protection.

For apartment managers and housing professionals, few situations are more legally charged - or more emotionally complex - than a hoarding complaint. One wrong move can trigger a discrimination lawsuit. One right move can save a life.

This session cuts through the "reality TV" noise and gets straight to what matters: the legal realities, practical strategies, and human considerations that define how you must respond.

What You'll Learn

The Legal Framework
Understand exactly how the Fair Housing Act applies to hoarding disorder - and what that means for your enforcement authority before, during, and after a complaint.

Recognition Without Overreach
Learn how to identify potential hoarding situations early without crossing into diagnosis or discrimination territory.

The Reasonable Accommodation Process
Walk through a step-by-step framework for evaluating and responding to accommodation requests related to hoarding — so you're never guessing what the law requires.

Documentation That Protects You
Discover what to document, how to document it, and why thorough records are your strongest defense in any Fair Housing dispute.

When Safety Overrides Accommodation
Know exactly when health and safety concerns can — and must — take precedence, and how to act on them without creating liability.

Difficult Conversations Done Right
Get proven communication strategies for addressing sensitive situations in ways that preserve resident dignity while protecting your property and your team.

Who Should Attend

This training is essential for:

Community Managers and Directors
Multi-Site, Area, and Regional Managers
Leasing Managers
Maintenance Managers and Supervisors
Training, Compliance, and HR Professionals

Key Takeaways

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Identify when clutter or accumulation crosses the line into a Fair Housing issue
Balance empathy with enforcement when safety or lease violations are involved
Communicate with residents in ways that are both compassionate and legally sound
Protect your property — and your peace of mind — through proper documentation and proactive management

Speaker(s)

Doug Chasick

Doug Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, Adv. RAM, SLE, That Fair Housing Guy™, is the former President of the Fair Housing Institute, Inc. With more than 46 years of investment real estate experience, he began as the Resident Manager of a 524-unit apartment property and has been the President or CEO of five real estate companies, responsible for portfolios of over 28,000 apartments. Doug was awarded his CPM® in 1979 and was a member of the IREM National Faculty for eight years. A Senior Instructor member of the NAAEI Faculty, he leads the Advanced Facilitator Training course, is the co-author of “Outstanding Facilitation Techniques”, and a co-author of the joint IREM & NAAEI “Fair Housing and Beyond” course. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida, a licensed Expert Fair Housing Instructor in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the recipient of the NAAEI Apartment Career & Education award.

Unlimited Webinars

Access Unlimited Webinars

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Why You Should Subscribe?

Unlimited Live and On-Demand Courses

Watch all live or recorded webinars (up to 120 minutes long). Get instant access to a library of more than 500 high quality courses presented by best-in-class presenters.