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Q:Your community allows residents to reserve the common room for parties and other social activities, including Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. A resident asks if he can reserve the room to host a pagan celebration to mark the winter solstice. Must you grant his request?
Q: I manage rental properties that participate in HUD programs. A tenant claims her boyfriend is abusing her and asked me to transfer her to a different unit at one of our other properties. I know that under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), federally assisted properties like mine are required to allow victims of domestic violence to transfer to another available unit on an emergency basis. But I have only the t...
Q: A tenant comes to you in tears and says that a maintenance worker who’s been sexually harassing her for months just entered her apartment and exposed himself. “I’m going to call a lawyer,” she exclaims. You feel terrible for the tenant and want to do everything you can to help her. But you also don’t want her to make a scene or drag the lawyers in. So, you tell her not to tell anybody...
The owner of the apartment complex you manage has asked you to investigate a sexual harassment complaint about a maintenance employee made by a tenant at another one of the owner’s properties. Because you have no work relationship with anyone at that property, the owner believes you can conduct an impartial investigation. In addition to interviewing the complaining tenant and the accused staff member, you plan to interview the tenant’s neighbor who claims to...
In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: I have a tenant who’s allergic to dogs and cats. What should I do when people bring their emotional support animals into common areas, causing problems for the person with allergies?
In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: We have verified that a tenant’s Rottweiler is her assistance animal. But Rottweilers are a restricted breed under our property's insurance policy. What should we do?
In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: If a tenant who’s requesting permission for an assistance animal provides verification from a credible source, but it's dated a few years back, is this acceptable? What is the rule for backdated verifications?
In this four-part series we’re featuring answers to some tricky questions attendees asked during our recent webinar, How to Handle Requests for Assistance Animals, presented by attorney Theresa L. Kitay.
Q: When tenants request an assistance animal, are they required to put a deposit down like everyone else who requests for a pet to be admitted to housing?
Q: A criminal records check reveals that a rental applicant was arrested on rape charges twice, once in 1997 and again in 2009. Do you have legitimate, nondiscriminatory grounds to reject his application?
a. No, because the arrests happened more than seven years ago.
b. Yes, because arrests for sexual assault are grounds to reject regardless of how long ...
During the pandemic, many communities have been negotiating rent repayment plans to help residents who are struggling financially avoid eviction due to what may be only a temporary financial setback. The common practice of negotiating with residents on an individual basis results in different deals.
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