June 2018 Coach's Quiz

We’ve answered FAQs to help you avoid fair housing trouble when handling reasonable accommodation requests involving assistance animals and parking accommodations. Now let’s look at how the rules might apply in the real world. Take the COACH’s Quiz to see what you have 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.

QUESTION #1

Even though we have a no-pet policy, we must consider making an exception for a resident who says he needs an emotional support dog because of a disability. True or false?

a.   True.

b.   False.

QUESTION #2

Our community has a strict policy against pit bulls and other dangerous breeds, but we must consider making an exception for an applicant with a disability who says his pit bull is an assistance animal. True or false?

a.   True.

b.   False.

QUESTION #3

Several months after moving into the community, a resident tells you that she’s disabled and asks you to reserve for her an accessible parking space near her unit. You may deny the request because she didn’t ask for the space when she moved in. True or false?

a.   True.

b.   False.

QUESTION #1

Correct answer: a

Despite your no-pet policy, you must consider making an exception as a reasonable accommodation for a resident who says he has a disability and needs an emotional support animal. Unless his disability is readily observable or known, you may ask for reliable disability-related information that’s necessary to verify that the resident has a disability that qualifies under the FHA—that is, a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities—and has a disability-related need for the animal.

But be careful—you can’t ask the resident for information about what his disability is or what the animal does to assist him—only for confirmation that there is a disability and that the animal is needed because of that disability. And you can’t ask for access to his medical records or medical providers—or for detailed or extensive documentation about his physical or mental impairments.

QUESTION #2

Correct answer: a

Many communities have policies restricting certain dog breeds, most notably pit bulls, but HUD says that breed restrictions don’t apply to assistance animals. To comply with fair housing law, you must assess whether the particular animal in question poses a direct threat; otherwise, you may be accused of denying a reasonable accommodation by excluding an assistance animal based on its breed.

QUESTION #3

Correct answer: b

The FHA does not require that a reasonable accommodation request be made in a particular manner or at a particular time, so it doesn’t matter that the resident waited until months after moving in to make the parking request. Follow your community’s policies and procedures to evaluate whether to grant her request as a reasonable accommodation.