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*NEW* The Washington State Human Rights Commission Publishes Self-Assessment Checklist for Real Estate and Housing Transactions
Checklist can be downloaded here: (MS Word format or Adobe pdf format)
Grovernor Gregoire's Fair Housing Month Proclamation
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
HUD OBTAINS $40,000 SETTLEMENT FOR OREGON FAMILY WITH AUTISTIC CHILD IN DISCRIMINATION CASE. Under a HUD settlement, the owners and managers of a Portland, Oregon, area apartment complex will pay $40,000 to the parents of a three-year old boy with autism to resolve a housing discrimination complaint. The family alleged their landlord refused to move the family to the first floor to mitigate noise complaints from a downstairs tenant. The family also alleged the landlord failed to renew the family's lease, forcing the family to vacate on the day their second child was born.
Read the full press release at: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr08-068.cfm
Read the Agreement at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/enforcement/sanchez.pdf
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES DISABILITY RIGHTS CASE WITH NATIONAL PROVIDER OF RETIREMENT HOUSING
On August 23, 2007, the United States filed a proposed consent order and an amended complaint in United States v. Covenant Retirement Communities West, Inc. (E.D. Cal.). The original complaint was filed on December 20, 2004. The complaint, as amended, alleges that Chicago-based Covenant Retirement Communities, Inc., and its subsidiaries violated the Fair Housing Act by employing policies that: required residents of retirement communities who used motorized mobility aids to obtain personal liability insurance, demonstrate their competence at operating the motorized aid, and provide physician's certifications of need; barred residents and visitors from using mobility aids in certain common areas, including dining rooms; and steered persons with mobility impairments from independent living to assisted living. The 15 covered retirement communities are located in California, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Florida, and Michigan.
The consent order, which was entered on August 27, 2007, dismantles those policies. Residents and visitors who have disabilities will be free to use their mobility aids throughout the complexes and may not be subjected to conditions of use, including testing, proof of need, or the purchase of insurance. The Defendants will also establish a $530,000 settlement fund for persons who may have been injured by their policies, pay residents who were tested $250 (and such additional damages as they may have suffered), and pay a $30,000 civil penalty. The also calls for employee training, a nondiscrimination policy, record keeping, and monitoring. The consent order will remain in effect for three years.
This page has the links to the consent decree and amended complaint: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/fairhousing/headlines.htm
2007 Fair Housing Conference: Spokane, WA April 18th, 2007
King County Fair Housing materials for landlords
HUD REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH PENNSYLVANIA APARTMENT COMPLEX OWNER AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Bensalem, PA, apartment complex owner and management company agree to compensate couple in excess of $30,000 for alleged discrimination
2006 Fair Housing Conference
HUD to Sell Homes at a Discount to Disaster Victims
Homes are Available to Evacuees Across the Nation
As of May 1, almost all new properties listed for sale by HUD will be offered exclusively to hurricane evacuees for a period of five days at a price that is ten percent below fair market value. FEMA qualified evacuees must submit a purchase offer though a licensed real estate broker. As many as 20,000 HUD homes nationwide could be made available to hurricane evacuees. Learn more: call (800) CALL FHA or visit the web.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2005 STATE OF FAIR HOUSING REPORT
Fair Housing Accessibility information
Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing Act, Part 2
Fair Housing Ruling Allows Dying Woman to Keep Housing - Press Release
HUD Study Shows People with Disabilities Face Discrimination in up to Half of Rental Inquiries
Free Fair Housing Workshops In Seattle
Latinos Turned Away From Rentals by Voice Identification
HOUSING & REAL ESTATE
It is an unfair practice for any person to refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any person, whether acting for himself, herself, or another, because of sex, marital status, race, creed, color, national origin, families with children status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person.
Here is the link to the Fair Housing Act as Amended (Title 8) from the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Unlike other discrimination complaints, complaints relating to housing or real estate must be filed within one year of the date of the alleged discrimination.
FAIR HOUSING OCCUPANCY STANDARDS
On February 20, 1998, the Commission issued a Guidance Memorandum on Fair Housing Occupancy Standards. This is an important issue for landlords and for families with children seeking fair housing opportunities. Click here for the full text of the Occupancy Standards guidance memorandum.
Interaction between Federal and State Law
The Commission has a cooperative agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to process and investigate dual-filed housing complaints for which our Commission receives finding under the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP). The Commission is a FHAP agency because our law is substantially equivalent to the federal Fair Housing Act. Most of the Commission's housing cases are dual-filed with HUD; however, the state fair housing law is more expansive than the federal fair housing law and occasionally the Commission will prepare a complaint with Commission jurisdiction only.
U.S. Dept of Justice Fair Housing Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQ)
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