Utah Landlord Settles Claims of Unlawfully Refusing Parking Accommodation

The owner and managers of an 84-unit apartment complex in Utah recently agreed to settle allegations that they unlawfully refused a reasonable accommodation request for an assigned parking space from a resident with disability. The settlement resolves the resident’s complaint alleging that the community refused her request to be assigned a designated parking space close to her unit.

Under the terms of the agreement, the community agreed to pay the resident $18,000, transfer her to a ground-floor unit, pay moving expenses up to $2,500, and assign her a designated parking space in front of her unit. In addition, the owner and property management company will provide fair housing training for staff at the apartment complex, revise their reasonable accommodation policy, and revise their parking policy to include language that informs persons with disabilities about their right to request a designated parking space as a reasonable accommodation.

"For 45 years persons with disabilities who reside in HUD-financed housing have had the right to receive the accommodations they need to fully enjoy their homes, but in too many instances that right continues to be denied,” Anna María Farías, HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, said in a statement. "Today’s settlement reaffirms HUD’s commitment to ensuring that housing providers are aware of their obligations under the nation’s fair housing laws and take steps to comply with those obligations.”