Fair Housing Compliance Guide

Research and gain a thorough understanding of fair housing laws at the federal, state, and local levels. Pay special attention to the Fair Housing Act and any additional laws pertaining to your geographical area.

Develop non-discriminatory policies for renting, leasing, and managing all properties. Policies should cover all aspects of the tenant-landlord relationship, including rental criteria, tenant screening, occupancy guidelines, and handling of complaints.

Train all staff involved in renting and managing properties on the fair housing laws and the non-discriminatory policies that have been developed. Ensure that they understand the consequences of non-compliance.

Create and publish advertisements for vacancies in a manner that does not prefer one class of tenants over another. Avoid language that could be construed as exclusive or discriminatory.

Implement a consistent tenant screening process that treats all applicants equally. Use the same criteria and evaluation process for every applicant to avoid claims of discrimination.

Set up procedures to handle reasonable accommodation requests from tenants with disabilities. Ensure that these procedures are fair, respectful, and in line with legal requirements.

Regularly review and update policies and practices to remain compliant with fair housing laws. Make adjustments as necessary, particularly when there are changes in the law.

Maintain detailed records of all tenant interactions, policy updates, training sessions, and accommodation requests to provide evidence of compliance in case of an audit or discrimination claim.

Consider consulting with a legal expert specialized in real estate or landlord-tenant law to ensure that your policies and practices meet all the requirements of fair housing laws.