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In honor of Fair Housing Month, we’re going to tackle a subject that you may be losing sleep over but don’t talk about: fear of getting a fair housing complaint. No doubt, you’re well aware of the potentially devastating consequences faced by communities embroiled in fair housing litigation. With increasing regularity, there’s news of yet another community paying out thousands—sometimes millions—to resolve fair housing disputes.

For this month’s lesson, the Coach gathered some interesting fair housing cases from the past few months. In some, communities are called to defend their actions when dealing with prospects—over the phone and during on-site visits. Others involve disputes with residents in how they handled maintenance problems and enforcement of rules governing common areas. And there’s a recent case over what property managers did—or should have done&md...

We’ve given you eight Dos & Don’ts for dealing with residents who break the rules. 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, (...

In this month’s lesson, the Coach looks at fair housing problems that can arise when dealing with residents who break the rules. The specifics will vary, but all residents have to abide by some basic rules: They must pay rent, avoid damage to the unit (subject to reasonable wear and tear), and refrain from interfering with the quiet enjoyment of other residents.

This month, the Coach takes a look at recent trends—and what they may mean for your fair housing program. The big news is a U.S. Supreme Court case on whether federal fair housing law imposes liability for discrimination based on disparate impact—that is, when a housing practice has a discriminatory effect on a protected class, even when there’s no intent to discriminate. A ruling in the case, expected later this year, has the potential to sig...

This month, the Coach focuses on the rules banning retaliation—a separate, and often overlooked, source of liability under fair housing law. Under the retaliation rules, it’s unlawful to “coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with” anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right.

In this Special Issue, we’re going to wrap up 2014 with a summary of all the lessons covered over the year. Keep it handy—it’s a brief refresher on top fair housing concerns and a helpful index to the full lessons, all of which are available to subscribers to review on—or download from—FairHousingCoach.com. At the end of each summary, you’ll find a Quiz question—with a link ...

In this month’s lesson, we’re going to look at how to provide maintenance services to residents at your community without violating fair housing law.

It’s important to maintain the property and respond to residents’ requests for maintenance or repairs, but you could get into fair housing trouble if you’re not careful. For instance, when you schedule repair work, you must treat residents fairly, based on objective reasons, such as the ...

In this month’s lesson, Fair Housing Coach spotlights fair housing problems that can arise when dealing with prospects. The majority of fair housing complaints occur during the apartment-seeking and rental-selection phase, says fair housing expert Shirley Robertson. And some have hit the news recently, with communities paying large settlements to resolve allegations that they turned away prospects for discriminatory reasons.

In this Special Issue, we’re tackling recordkeeping—a task that’s essential to protect your community from fair housing trouble.

Why is having the proper paperwork so important? Because it puts you in the best position to prevent fair housing violations—and to defend yourself if you ever face a discrimination complaint. Good recordkeeping helps your community to: