With students heading back to school, the Coach is dedicating this month’s lesson to helping you recognize and avoid the liability risks of dealing with students. First, we’ll explain how fair housing laws apply to students even if this group isn’t listed as a protected class. Then, we’ll set out seven common pitfalls landlords fall into when dealing with student renters and what you should do to avoid them.

Many if not most of the over 30,000 discrimination complaints filed against landlords in America each year involve alleged wrongdoing by a leasing agent, property manager, maintenance person, or other frontline staffer. That's why training staff to comply with fair housing laws is essential to minimizing risks of liability for discrimination.

In recognition of Pride Month, this month’s lesson addresses the thorny issue of LGBTQ+ discrimination and what landlords must do to avoid it. First, we’ll explain how the fair housing laws apply to LGBTQ+ people and why potential liability for sexual orientation and/or gender identity discrimination is a concern in many parts of the country, regardless of the current state of federal enforcement under Trump 2.0. Next, we’ll outline nine rules that landlords and their...

Offering the right amenities—like pools, fitness centers, and game rooms—can give you a decisive edge in attracting and retaining tenants. But setting rules for safely using amenities exposes you to risk of liability under fair housing laws, particularly claims of discrimination against families with children. You can get into trouble even when your sole purpose in creating the rules is to ensure safe and sanitary use of the amenity. We show you how to avoid this...

In honor of Fair Housing Month, our April issue takes a break from our usual lesson to test your knowledge of fair housing law. Based on your answers to our quiz, you’ll be able to identify any potential problem areas that might merit some further attention or training. You can then browse our website for lessons on the topics you or your staff should brush up on.