As a landlord of a single-family residence, you are, categorically, required to comply with the Federal Fair Housing Act, which prescribes that you assent to “reasonable accommodations” for not only disabled residents but, in addition, for those who live with or are closely linked with individuals with disabilities. Even so, what, transparently, should be deemed as a “reasonable accommodation,” and how can you define what would be considered “unreasonable”?
What is considered a reasonable accommodation?
To start things off, “reasonable accommodation” can denote any physical changes made to a rental home. This might include basic modifications, such as lowering towel bars and light switches or carefully installing a smoke alarm with flashing lights along with an audible alarm. Not to mention, the resident is typically responsible for the costs connected to providing and taking out these accommodations.
In conjunction with making physical accommodations to the residence, you might likewise need to provide “reasonable accommodations” on the administrative side. For a case in point, if you have a resident with a mental disability that acutely affects their memory, they might request that you call them each month to actually remind them to pay their rent. This request would be considered reasonable.
What is considered an unreasonable accommodation?
Let’s take into consideration an example of what might be deemed ‘unreasonable.’ A salient factor in this deliberation is whether the requested accommodation would cause significant hardship for you as a housing provider. As an illustration, just imagine you own a two-story single-family rental home and receive a request to install an elevator for a tenant with a physical disability. You could reasonably deny this request, as it would embody significant construction work and be costly.
An unreasonable accommodation request can also spring up on the administrative side. Such as, for instance, if you own a single-family residence and lay hold of a request from a potential resident with a mental impairment seeking for you to call them each morning and evening to properly remind them to turn the exterior lights on at night and off in the morning, this request could be deemed unreasonable. As a landlord, you would have the right to deny this request.
Landlords must discover the difference between reasonable and unreasonable accommodations under the Federal Fair Housing Act. Correctly supporting residents with disabilities is vitally important, but landlords should also find out their limits with respect to requests that may impose exceptional burdens. By communicating openly and suitably accommodating within reasonable limits, landlords can create an inclusive environment while meticulously safeguarding their interests.
Real Property Management Executives Greater Atlanta correctly understands the Fair Housing Act and how it greatly affects you as a single-family homeowner in Duluth and nearby. We can exceptionally help you know well these rules to ensure compliance when renting to individuals with disabilities. If you want to get more valuable info, please contact us online or at 678-765-8383.
Originally Published on May 11, 2018
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
