October 2014 Coach’s Quiz
We’ve suggested seven Dos & Don’ts for avoiding fair housing problems when dealing with prospects. 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
Federal fair housing law hasn’t changed in decades, so it’s unnecessary to require experienced employees to attend formal training more than once. True or false?
a. True.
b. False.
QUESTION #2
A community could be accused of discrimination just from the way it handles phone calls or emails from prospects. True or false?
a. True.
b. False.
QUESTION #3
A prospect in a wheelchair asks about available two-bedroom units. You have several units available, but you think that it would be better for him to live on the ground floor, so it’s okay to tell him about only those units. True or false?
a. True.
b. False.
QUESTION #4
You could get into trouble if an employee answers a question about how many African Americans live at your community even if the question comes from an African-American prospect. True or false?
a. True.
b. False.
COACH’S ANSWERS & EXPLANATIONS
QUESTION #1
Correct answer: b
Reason: Rule #3 applies here:
DO Focus on Fair Housing Training
DON’T Allow Personal Bias into the Leasing Office
Even experienced employees should attend periodic training sessions to ensure that everyone understands the rules and knows how to apply them consistently.
QUESTION #2
Correct answer: a
Reason: Rule #4 applies here:
DO Follow Standard Protocol for Answering Inquiries
DON’T Ignore or Delay Responses
You could face a fair housing complaint based on the way you handle telephone calls or emails from prospects. Treating people differently because of the way they sound on the phone could lead to a complaint of linguistic profiling based on race or national origin. And fair housing experts warn against “email profiling”—treating prospects differently based on perceived race or ethnicity from the name used in an email.
QUESTION #3
Correct answer: b
Reason: Rule #6 applies here:
DO Follow Standard Procedures for Showing Units
DON’T Refuse or Limit Showings Based on Protected Class
Even if you don’t mean to discriminate, you may be accused of unlawful steering by limiting his housing choices because of your opinion, based on his disability, about where he’d prefer to live.
QUESTION #4
Correct answer: a
Reason: Rule #7 applies here:
DO Follow Fair Housing Rules
DON’T Let Anyone Tell You It’s Okay to Discriminate
Answering questions from prospects could lead to fair housing trouble if the response involves the race, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics of other residents in your community. When talking to prospects, don’t discuss the personal attributes of your residents, regardless of who brings up the subject.