The Legal Beagle on Fair Housing Signage
Today's blog post brought to you by "The Legal Beagle" 
While I was driving around the Seattle area today, I came across this sign for an apartment community. I have blocked out the name and contact information to protect the ignorant.
A shiny gold star to the person who can tell me what's wrong with this picture!
"Family Friendly" isn't so friendly when you're staring down a HUD violation. Phrases like "Family Friendly," or "Hispanic Community," are definite violations of the Federal Fair Housing act under the section of Familial Status. What made this stand out to me was that usually this is the kind of slip that you see in advertisements on Craigslist, not on main community signs.
Do you have any questionable signage on your property? Did you know that things like "Adult Pool," besides conjuring a terrible mental image, are also fair housing violations? If you haven't taken or haven't put your team through a recent fair housing training, it might be time for a refresher course. The laws change often with more and more protected classes in your area, so it's best to offer refresher courses on Fair Housing at least once every 6-12 months. I recommend the great folks over at Grace Hill for online courses in fair housing, or you could even book an outside speaker to come in and meet with your team for an hour or so. Check with your local NAA chapter or WMFHA in the Seattle Area for help in getting a referral for a good trainer!
While I was driving around the Seattle area today, I came across this sign for an apartment community. I have blocked out the name and contact information to protect the ignorant.
A shiny gold star to the person who can tell me what's wrong with this picture!
"Family Friendly" isn't so friendly when you're staring down a HUD violation. Phrases like "Family Friendly," or "Hispanic Community," are definite violations of the Federal Fair Housing act under the section of Familial Status. What made this stand out to me was that usually this is the kind of slip that you see in advertisements on Craigslist, not on main community signs.
Do you have any questionable signage on your property? Did you know that things like "Adult Pool," besides conjuring a terrible mental image, are also fair housing violations? If you haven't taken or haven't put your team through a recent fair housing training, it might be time for a refresher course. The laws change often with more and more protected classes in your area, so it's best to offer refresher courses on Fair Housing at least once every 6-12 months. I recommend the great folks over at Grace Hill for online courses in fair housing, or you could even book an outside speaker to come in and meet with your team for an hour or so. Check with your local NAA chapter or WMFHA in the Seattle Area for help in getting a referral for a good trainer!
Posted by Heather Blume at 3/21/2009 11:58 PM 
Categories: Things to Think on, Training Topics, Fair Housing Fanatic, Bringing the Basics, Litigation Liabilities
Tags: Fair Housing General Apartment
Categories: Things to Think on, Training Topics, Fair Housing Fanatic, Bringing the Basics, Litigation Liabilities
Tags: Fair Housing General Apartment
No reasonable person would think "Family Friendly" meant people without families can't live there. Maybe it means there's playground equipment for the little ones. Geeze.
Let us know when you see a sign that says "Family Unfriendly" then maybe you can go sue somebody.
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The problem is that it's not about intent, it's about how the people interpreted it. You don't use that phrase in multifamily advertising. Just try sending it in to the fine folks at For Rent - they will send it right back to you because it's lawsuit bait, and as an advertiser, they could potentially be held liable.
Familial Status is a protected class, just like color or disability.
And your qualifier of a "reasonable person" does not take in to account the people who are LOOKING for someone to sue out there - and there are a lot of them in the current economy. Don't let something that is this easy to fix be a reason that you leave your property or company open to a lawsuit.
Thank you very much for the comment and feedback!
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