February 2012 Coach's Quiz

We've given you six rules for dealing with multigenerational households. Now let's look at how the rules might apply in the real world. Take the COACH's Quiz to see what you've learned.

INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the following questions has only one correct answer. On a separate piece of paper, write down the number of each question, followed by the answer you think is correct—for example, 1)b, 2)a, and so on. The correct answers (with explanations) follow the quiz. Good luck!

QUESTION #1

A white applicant wants to rent a small two-bedroom unit for himself, his wife, their two school-aged children, and her mother. Could you be accused of discrimination if you refuse to show them that unit and offer them only larger two and three-bedroom units?

1. Yes.

2. No.

3. It depends.

QUESTION #2

Could you be accused of discrimination if the family in Question #1 is Asian, having recently moved from China to live in the United States?

1. Yes.

2. No.

3. It depends.

QUESTION #3

Could you be accused of discrimination if the applicant in Question #1 says his wife has a disability and needs her mother to live with them to be her caregiver?

1. Yes.

2. No.

3. It depends.

Coach's Answers and Explanations

QUESTION #1

Correct answer: b

Reason: Rules #2 and #3 apply here:

Rule #2: Adopt Policies and Procedures for Handling Multigenerational Households

Rule #3: Don't Enforce Overly Restrictive Occupancy Standards

Overly restrictive occupancy standards can give rise to discrimination claims based on familial status, but HUD generally considers two-persons per bedroom to be a reasonable occupancy standard. Since the unit is small, you would be within your rights to refuse to rent the unit to the family, assuming that the size of the bedrooms or other factors wouldn't make it reasonable to exceed that standard.

QUESTION #2

Correct answer: c

Reason: Rules #1 and #3 apply here:

Rule #1: Don't Discriminate Against Multigenerational Households Based on Protected Characteristics

Rule #3: Don't Enforce Overly Restrictive Occupancy Standards

It shouldn't make a difference that the family is a member of a protected class—unless you have failed to apply your occupancy standards consistently. If you've made exceptions to the rules for white residents, but deny the same option to this family, you could be accused of discrimination based on race and national origin.

QUESTION #3

Correct answer: c

Reason: Rules #3 and #4 apply here:

Rule #3: Don't Enforce Overly Restrictive Occupancy Standards

Rule #4: Follow Procedures for Disability-Related Accommodation Requests

Once the applicant has asserted a disability-related need to exceed your occupancy standards, you should follow your policies and procedures governing reasonable accommodation requests. If the wife's impairment isn't obvious, you may verify that she qualifies under the FHA's definition of “disability—that is, that she has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and has a disability-related need for the requested accommodation. Get help from your attorney to resolve problems like these—you may still believe the unit is too small, but you should engage in an interactive process with the applicant to try to work out a resolution that would meet the wife's disability-related needs while not unduly burdening the community.