Stupid Stupid landlord....

[Q3JR4]

So I recently got a job that requires me to sit at the home of a friend of mine making sure that his geriatric mother gets the care she requires throughout the day (easy stuff, cook food, clean up afterwords, remind her to use her walker, take blood sugar readings and administer insulin, that sort of thing). With the job comes food, water, electricity, direct TV with a dvr, and I get to live there rent free.

The lease at the old place lasts until the end of May, but it also allows me to move out if I find someone else to take my place and move in. My former roommate found an ex-girlfriend who wanted to move in, so we asked the landlord for a copy of his move-in form and sent it to her. I've met her, she's a very nice woman in a wheel chair who also happens to be diabetic. Apparently her credit is stellar and the reference from the last place she lived came from some people who had hired her as a property manager. Everything looked really good, so I cleaned the place up and got all of my stuff out.

Yesterday I'm in visiting the old house when the guy who lives there who was my roommate comes in completely irate. He tells me that the landlord told him that after talking it over with the other owners of the property, they were not going to rent to her because the house is not wheelchair accessible and they don't want to have to deal with putting up a wheelchair ramp.

Today I called the old roommate and told him that the next time he talks to the landlord I want to be there. We're going to be explicitly clear that no permanent modifications will have to be made to the house (she has a temporary ramp) and I'm going to print out a copy of the Fair Housing Act and take it along with us for backup.

I'm really hoping that the whole mess goes away, but we're still going to start getting prepared to knock some heads in if we have to.

Q3JR4.
He vents while mumbling incoherently about stupid landlords and their inability to follow the law.

[flvegan]

1. It's always comical when folks choose to attempt to crucify themselves.

Yes, deny tenancy to someone in a wheelchair. You idiot.

My best to your friends.

[ThomCat]

2. If he Refuses to rent to someone because she's in a wheelchair

I hope you nail him to a wall. And tell him in advance that you're going to do it.

I want to see this in the news!. x(

:grr:

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. The landlord doesn't know about the Fair Housing Act?

http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm#anchor66055

Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act, as amended in 1988, prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin. Its coverage includes private housing, housing that receives Federal financial assistance, and State and local government housing. It is unlawful to discriminate in any aspect of selling or renting housing or to deny a dwelling to a buyer or renter because of the disability of that individual, an individual associated with the buyer or renter, or an individual who intends to live in the residence. Other covered activities include, for example, financing, zoning practices, new construction design, and advertising.

The Fair Housing Act requires owners of housing facilities to make reasonable exceptions in their policies and operations to afford people with disabilities equal housing opportunities. For example, a landlord with a "no pets" policy may be required to grant an exception to this rule and allow an individual who is blind to keep a guide dog in the residence. The Fair Housing Act also requires landlords to allow tenants with disabilities to make reasonable access-related modifications to their private living space, as well as to common use spaces. (The landlord is not required to pay for the changes.) The Act further requires that new multifamily housing with four or more units be designed and built to allow access for persons with disabilities. This includes accessible common use areas, doors that are wide enough for wheelchairs, kitchens and bathrooms that allow a person using a wheelchair to maneuver, and other adaptable features within the units.

Complaints of Fair Housing Act violations may be filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For more information or to file a complaint, contact:

Office of Program Compliance and Disability Rights
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, S.W. , Room 5242
Washington, D.C. 20410

www.hud.gov/offices/fheo

[phone] (voice)
[phone] (TTY)

For questions about the accessibility provisions of the Fair Housing Act, contact Fair Housing FIRST at:

www.fairhousingfirst.org

[phone] (voice/TTY)

For publications, you may call the Housing and Urban Development Customer Service Center at:

[phone] (voice/relay)

Additionally, the Department of Justice can file cases involving a pattern or practice of discrimination. The Fair Housing Act may also be enforced through private lawsuits.

[Wapsie B]

4. In a just world he would have to give up ownership of that property to her.

[geardaddy]

5. What a complete twat.

I hope you nail him, and good!

[mainegreen]

6. Just call HUD or your states equivalent. They're puree him one hour after they get the call.

They LIVE for this stuff, and will leave the landlord a quivering, compliant mass of goo.

[jobycom]

7. Careful--there are exceptions to the Fair Housing Act.

If the dwelling is owner-occupied and has only one to four family units, or the owner is renting rooms in his own home, the Fair Housing Act doesn't apply. I can't tell from your description, but since you describe it as "the old house," made me wonder.

Otherwise he's clearly violating the 1988 amendment to the 1968 Fair Housing Act.