The Need for HOA Anti-Harassment Policies is Up for Debate

Our sister publication, HOAleader.com, recently reported that one of its readers was informed by a potential directors and officers liability insurer that their association would need to have an anti-harassment policy to obtain coverage. The reader stated, “We didn’t want to be involved in the policing-how-neighbors-treat-each-other business, but we have to, it turns out.” Is that true?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) likely wouldn’t put it that way, but it did issue a regulation in 2016 that your clients might interpret as just such a requirement.

The regulation makes associations liable in certain circumstances for harassment committed by third parties—including other owners—when the harassment was based on a protected characteristic (race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, or disability).

So should you advise your clients to adopt formal HOA anti-harassment policies? Read our new article to find out what our experts say about this policy initiative and discover whether your clients may already hold the tools they need to address harassment without the need for a formal policy.

Read the full article here: Do Your Association Clients Need Anti-Harassment Policies?

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President