Do You Know What Happened 47 Years Ago Today?

Today, many people take the protections under federal fair housing law for granted. But not too long ago—47 years ago today, in fact—was when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law. Title VIII of this landmark piece of legislation is commonly known as the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which has served as the primary vehicle through which to seek redress for harm suffered as a result of housing discrimination violations across the United States.

The path toward adopting comprehensive anti-discrimination housing legislation was a hard-fought battle that spanned several generations.

Remember this historic day and learn more about its origins by taking a moment to read a "History of Fair Housing," courtesy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It's Fair Housing Month... Do You Know the Basics of Fair Housing Law?

People who become the victim of housing discrimination can suffer a range of problems, most notably financial loss and emotional distress. Although the Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law with a strong enforcement mechanism, many apartment tenants aren't familiar with how the law protects them against discrimination.

This Fair Housing Month, take a moment to become more empowered by getting familiar with your fair housing rights, learning how to spot illegal discrimination, and knowing what your options are for dealing with landlords and others who are infringing on your rights.

Check out my article, entitled "Housing Discrimination Basics" for About.com.

Fair Housing Compliance Training in a Convenient and Affordable eBook

In connection with Fair Housing Month last year, Fair Housing Helper launched the eBook version of Fair Housing Helper for Apartment Professionals, its popular compliance product aimed at helping landlords, property managers, leasing agents, and staff comply with the Fair Housing Act and related housing discrimination laws.

The Kindle eBook edition still retails for $9.99, 50% less than the $19.99 list price for the paperback, which is available on Amazon.com and other online retailers. Apartment professionals can now train using their tablet, smartphone, or even a PC or Mac, as well as on a Kindle device, thanks to free Kindle apps.

Extra savings: Readers who have already purchased the paperback version from Amazon.com can pick up the new Kindle edition for only $2.99 under the new Kindle MatchBook program. New readers who purchase both the print and Kindle versions from Amazon.com also get the Kindle edition for $2.99.

Read the press release, "Fair Housing Training on an iPad? New eBook Makes Discrimination Training Even More Convenient and Affordable," for more information and visit FairHousingHelper.com.

Why, Exactly, Is April Fair Housing Month?

Many people in the housing industry are aware that April is known as "Fair Housing Month," but not everyone knows why.

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) became law in April 1968, as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, a landmark piece of legislation. President Johnson signed the FHA into law on April 11, one week after the assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought for equality in housing.

Read more about how April came to be known as Fair Housing Month in an earlier FairHousingBlog.com post.

It's Fair Housing Month... Do You Know Which Protected Classes Your State Law Includes?

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law that protects tenants across the United States from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status. But many states, as well as the District of Columbia, have their own fair housing laws that go beyond the FHA, offering protection to many more tenants under a wider range of circumstances.

These states do this by including additional protected classes in their laws, such as age, marital status, military status, sexual orientation, and source of income, for example.

Use this interactive listing I put together of state fair housing laws for About.com as a resource to check if your state has additional protected classes.

It's Fair Housing Month... Here's One Thing Landlords Should Avoid Doing With Tenants With Disabilities

Some landlords introduce extra financial obstacles between tenants and a new apartment just because those tenants have a disability. For example, some landlords require tenants who use motorized wheelchairs to purchase liability insurance while others charge tenants a greater security deposit to protect against possible property damage from any type of wheelchair. But landlords who take such action could face liability for violating the Fair Housing Act's (FHA) ban on disability-based discrimination.

Even if a tenant with a disability can afford to pay more, treating tenants differently based on whether they have a disability is still illegal.

Find out more about why it's against the law as well as when landlords can make tenants pay for damage without risking fair housing violations by checking out my recent article for Nolo.com, entitled "Don't Make Tenants Pay for Having a Disability."

It's Fair Housing Month... Do You Know What 'Steering' Is?

“Steering” is an important fair housing concept that every landlord and tenant should be aware of. It's an industry term that refers to a set of situations in which a landlord tries to guide tenants to certain parts of a building or discourage them from renting there at all, based on a discriminatory reason.

It's a comparatively more subtle form of housing discrimination (as opposed to, say, turning away rental applicants altogether based on a protected class), but it's still illegal and can lead to fair housing violations.

Find out more about steering, including why it's against the law and how landlords can avoid even inadvertently steering their tenants, by checking out my recent article for Nolo.com, entitled "Avoid Practicing Illegal Steering at Your Rental Property."

Six Myths May Be to Blame for Delaying Fair Housing Compliance Training

Many landlords, property managers, and other housing professionals who aren't knowledgeable about fair housing law likely have a reason for not getting the training they need. For example, they may believe there's just not much to know when it comes to fair housing compliance, or they might feel it will never be too late to take corrective action to make a discrimination problem go away.

But such beliefs are not valid reasons for delaying training. In fact, even if you have the best intentions, you're unwittingly subjecting yourself to a high risk of fair housing liability by continuing to operate in the dark.

If you've been putting off getting fair housing training, check out my guest post on Liz Bramlet's Blog to see if you find any of these six common myths familiar.

It's Fair Housing Month... Do You Know Who's Protected Against Familial Status Discrimination?

A relative latecomer to federal housing discrimination law, "familial status" is a protected class that refers to the presence of at least one child under 18 years old. The goal of including "familial status" in the Fair Housing Act is to give tenants the right not to be turned away from housing or be treated differently just because they have kids.

Familial status sounds straightforward, but there's a bit more to it than meets the eye.

For example...

• Are families with adopted children protected just as much as those with biological children?
• Do parents in a household have to be married?
• Can the owner of a senior housing community legally turn away families with children?
• Are all rules that single out children automatically in violation of federal law?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in my recent Nolo.com article, entitled "Who's Protected Against Familial Status Discrimination?"

It's Fair Housing Month... Have You Watched 'Fair Housing Tips in Less Than a Minute'?

Are you a landlord or property manager in need of some quick guidance on how to comply with fair housing law?

Check out the playlist for the YouTube video series, "Fair Housing Tips In Less Than a Minute," which covers topics ranging from understanding protected classes to banning pets at an apartment.

You can also view each short video individually by following these links:

• Tip #1: Protected Classes
• Tip #2: Singling Out Children
• Tip #3: Telling Prospects About Apartments
• Tip #4: Banning Pets
• Tip #5: Retaliating Against Tenants

Check this blog for announcements of new tips as they're added to the series. Plus, for more helpful information about housing discrimination, visit fairhousingresources.com.

Fair Housing Month Begins With Launch of New Awareness Campaign

Today, the first day of what has become known as Fair Housing Month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a nationwide media campaign aimed at spreading awareness of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which was signed into law 47 Aprils ago.

The campaign, developed in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), will include both print and digital public service announcements (PSAs) in several languages, along with webinars, training presentations, brochures, online videos, and social media outreach, according to a press release today from HUD.

You can view PSAs such as the following ones by visiting the NFHA's Fair Housing Resource Center:

• The value of diverse communities - English | Spanish
• Discrimination in obtaining home financing - English | Spanish
• Getting evicted as a veteran with PTSD - English | Spanish