February 2013 Coach's Quiz

We’ve described the seven new deadly fair housing sins—along with strategies to help you avoid committing them. 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

There’s no problem posting photos taken during resident events on social media sites as long as we get permission from the people shown in the photos. True or false?

a. True.

b. False.

QUESTION #2

With the the flu going around, we’ve been shorthanded and have a backlog of unanswered emails. To catch up, we’re weeding through them and responding only to serious inquiries about current vacancies. Since we plan to get to the others when our staff is back to full strength, we’re unlikely to get into fair housing trouble. True or false?

a. True.

b. False.

QUESTION #3

Our applicant screening policy includes a criminal background check for all adult applicants. Recently, a former resident, who moved away for a new job, has applied to move back in. Since she was a good tenant, we can skip the criminal background check this time around without triggering any fair housing concerns. True or false?

a. True.

b. False.

QUESTION #4

Several residents have complained about terrible smells coming from a neighboring unit. When you visit the unit, you can detect the odor in the hallway. When she opens the door, the resident doesn’t want to let you in, but from the doorway, you can tell there’s a huge amount of trash and other debris inside the unit. Even though she doesn’t appear to be disabled, you should consider whether she’s entitled to reasonable accommodations in deciding how to remedy the situation. True or false?

a. True.

b. False.

COACH’S ANSWERS & EXPLANATIONS

QUESTION #1

Correct answer: b

Reason: This is an example of Deadly Sin #1:

               Deadly Sin #1: Forgetting that Advertising Rules Apply to New Media

You could run into problems with fair housing advertising rules unless you’re careful about what’s posted on your Web site, Facebook page, and other social media sites. HUD’s position is that the FHA’s ban on discriminatory advertising applies equally to online and traditional media sources. When posting photos, it’s great to get written permission, but you should also ensure that they reflect diversity to avoid any impression that your community has a preference for—or against—anyone based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status.

QUESTION #2

Correct answer: b

Reason: This is an example of Deadly Sin #2:

               Deadly Sin #2: Linguistic and Email Profiling

Coping with employee absences may be challenging, but you could trigger a fair housing problem if you respond immediately to only some, but not all, emails. Increasingly, fair housing organizations have been conducting tests to gauge differences in email responses based on various characteristics. Even if you don’t intend to discriminate, choosing which emails merit an immediate response could have the effect of delaying responses to inquiries from members of protected classes.

QUESTION #3

Correct answer: b

Reason: This is an example of Deadly Sin #5:

               Deadly Sin #5: Mishandling Criminal Background Checks

If your community’s applicant screening policies include criminal background checks, it’s important to apply the policy consistently to all applicants. To avoid the appearance of selective enforcement, you shouldn’t make exceptions to the policy, even for former residents.

QUESTION #4

Correct answer: a

Reason: This is an example of Deadly Sin #6:

               Deadly Sin #6: Neglecting Fair Housing Considerations in Hoarding Cases

Compulsive hoarding may be a sign of a mental disorder, so it’s a good idea to consider fair housing accommodation requirements when deciding how to resolve the problems with the resident’s unit. Though you don’t have to tolerate health and safety violations, you may have to grant reasonable accommodations to allow the resident enough time to clean the place up.