{"id":18212,"date":"2017-06-23T05:00:47","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=18212"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:30:49","slug":"fair-housing-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/fair-housing-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Fair Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s NAA Education Conference & Exposition<\/a> kicked off with a special session on Fair\"NAAfairhousing\"<\/a> Housing, The New Five: Fair Housing Issues You Didn\u2019t Know About.<\/em><\/p>\n

Panelists Doug Chasick, President, The Fair Housing Institute; Theresa Kitay, Attorney, Law Firm of Theresa L. Kitay; and Kathelene Williams, Partner, Williams & Edelstein, P.C. led the discussion.<\/p>\n

The team compiled a list of five hot topics in Fair Housing that can be confusing due to recent changes and ambiguities. The forum discussed best practices to help housing professionals avoid liability.<\/p>\n

Chasick opened with a piece of general advice before diving in: let common sense comes to the rescue when gray areas arise. \u201cTake off your Fair Housing hat and put on your \u2018Do I want to be the next slide in their presentation\u2019 hat,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t forget the, \u2018Be a decent person\u2019 hat,\u201d adds Kitay.<\/p>\n

Below are the panelists\u2019 recommended best practices:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Occupancy Policies<\/strong> \u2013 Many properties rely on a two occupants per bedroom standard. The panel suggests reconsidering that standard, as it can lead to disparate impact claims from families with children. Consider two people per bedroom, plus one per unit as a base.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Additional considerations might include items listed in the Keaton Memo, special circumstances such as the age of kids (e.g. exclude infants from occupancy rules), the size of rooms, and extra finished rooms like libraries or lofts that can safely serve as a sleeping quarters.<\/p>\n

    When it comes to evictions or rejecting an application based on past troubles, victims of domestic violence may also require additional occupancy consideration. See statement HUD 16-159, issued Oct 24, 2016 for additional details.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Immigration Status vs. National Origin<\/strong> – Immigration status is not a protected category in Fair Housing in most states. National origin, however, is a federally protected category.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Housing providers may question applicants about their legal status if they can assure that the question is consistently asked of all applicants without exception, ever. Otherwise, Williams recommends \u201cnot prioritizing\u201d the question.<\/p>\n

      Conversely, housing providers should avoid questioning applicants about their national origin.<\/p>\n

      Federally assisted housing providers should consult federal guidelines regarding language proficiency as well.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Criminal History<\/strong> \u2013 Rigid criminal history policies such as \u201cno felonies\u201d or \u201cno arrests,\u201d will place housing providers at risk.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u201cHave a reasonable look back period,\u201d suggests Chasick. \u201cAnd adjust it based on the type or severity of crime.\u201d Misdemeanors may have a shorter look back period than felonies, for example.<\/p>\n

        \u201cThere is a felony, and then there is a felony<\/em>,\u201d adds Kitay. \u201cHave a way for applicants to provide additional mitigating info, especially if that\u2019s the only thing in the policy that may be holding them back. It doesn\u2019t have to change your mind but there are things worth considering.\u201d<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Harassment<\/strong> – Any harassment claim involving residents, staff, or vendors must be taken seriously. The panelists recommend three basic steps: conduct investigation, document, and discipline as needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Assist Animals<\/strong> \u2013 Chasick notes an increase in discrimination claims regarding people with disabilities and their service animals. This is due to a rise in websites that claim to provide prescriptions for a service animal or emotional support animal. These sites often sell kits that include an embellished vest, leash, and certificate for a companion pet to act as a service animal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            \u201cIt\u2019s a scam,\u201d says Chasick. \u201cMany times, the residents don\u2019t know they are scams.\u201d<\/p>\n

            Kitay recommends requesting additional documentation from a doctor if in doubt of a certificate\u2019s legitimacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            This week\u2019s NAA Education Conference & Exposition kicked off with a special session on Fair Housing, The New Five: Fair Housing Issues You Didn\u2019t Know About. Panelists Doug Chasick, President, The Fair Housing Institute; Theresa Kitay, Attorney, Law Firm of Theresa L. Kitay; and Kathelene Williams, Partner, Williams & Edelstein, P.C. led the discussion. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":18213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3236,4],"tags":[26,289,1629,1505,29,44],"class_list":["post-18212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-affordable-housing","category-news","tag-affordable-housing","tag-apartments","tag-background-check","tag-fair-housing","tag-multifamily","tag-naa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This week\u2019s NAA Education Conference & Exposition kicked off with a special session on Fair Housing, The New Five: Fair Housing Issues You Didn\u2019t Know\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fair Housing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week\u2019s NAA Education Conference & Exposition kicked off with a special session on Fair Housing, The New Five: Fair Housing Issues You Didn\u2019t Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/fair-housing-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-23T12:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-22T23:30:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/06\/NAAfairhousing.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"959\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"546\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erica Rasc\u00f3n\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erica Rasc\u00f3n\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/fair-housing-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/fair-housing-2\/\",\"name\":\"Fair Housing - 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