Tag: Fair Housing

The Illinois Court of Appeals recently ruled that a condo association must provide only those accommodations that reduce the effects of a disability so that a requesting resident isn’t disadvantaged because of the disability. This standard proved too high of a hurdle in a recent discrimination lawsuit brought by a particularly litigious owner in a…

The federal Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA) exempts 55-and-older communities from the prohibition against familial status discrimination in housing. But some of these associations fail to comply with the law’s strict, and ongoing, legal requirements, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination claims. Here are the three main areas where they can slip up. 1. The…

How many assistance animals must an association with pet restrictions allow as a reasonable accommodation? If the answer seems obvious to you or a client, you might be surprised by a recent charge against an association and its manager by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The charge is startling evidence of…

More than 60 percent of American states have legalized some form of marijuana since 1996, and the legislatures in many of the holdouts have recently considered doing so. Those states with legal marijuana have seen it rapidly commoditized, with new businesses such as delivery services cropping up and becoming a part of homeowners’ daily lives.

Not surprisingly, the proliferation of pot has begun to have repercussions for community association managers, both as property managers and employers. Whether you live in a state where marijuana is fully legal, partially legal, or on the cusp of some degree of legalization, you need to know what that means on the ground.

This Special Report takes an in-depth look at some of the most pressing marijuana-related issues for community association managers and their clients and provides expert guidance on how to mitigate the associated risks.

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Owner requests to get around pet restrictions with service animals are nothing new, yet associations continue to struggle with how best to handle them. We’ll tell you about a new case that make clear how costly this can prove, not just for associations but also for management companies. “In this case, the HOA did everything…

From peacocks and pigs to turkeys and skunks, people seem to eat up stories about unusual animal aides. They’re often less amused, though, when their neighbors want community association rules bent for their service animals. A recent case out of Nevada illustrates the potentially steep costs for associations, board members, and management companies of hastily…

Community associations often prefer, understandably, to take a hands-off approach to disputes between owners. This week we explain why, under a federal regulation issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), that approach could backfire big time. Abuse and harassment among owners is on the rise, says Sandra Gottlieb, a founding partner of…

Community associations often prefer, understandably, to take a hands-off approach to disputes between owners. Under a federal regulation issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), though, that approach could backfire. Association Liability for Owner-on-Owner Harassment Abuse and harassment among owners is on the rise, says Sandra Gottlieb, a founding partner of California…

Unfortunately for community association managers, there are some common fair housing problems that can arise from community rules. To avoid them, make sure you understand where you might go wrong. In general, community rules trigger fair housing problems in one of two ways—either the rules are enforced unfairly or the rules themselves are unfair.

There are some common fair housing problems that can arise from community rules. But you can avoid them if you understand where you might go wrong. In general, community rules trigger fair housing problems in one of two ways—either the rules are enforced unfairly or the rules themselves are unfair.