By RPM Central Valley

Have you been staying up to date with the fair housing laws? As a landlord who owns rental properties you should be staying up to date with the latest fair housing act news because one violation of the fair housing act could jeopardize the cash flow that you’ve been earning from your home, apartment or condo for rent Central Valley.

Fair Housing Act News

It’s been law here in California since 1968 and ensures that all individuals are treated fairly when renting regardless of their national origin, race, religion or color. Thanks to the fair housing act landlords must also not discriminate against people based on their disability or familial status so everyone should be able to find a great rental property regardless of where they live in the Golden State.

As of October 2016 the fair housing laws that you should be following include:

Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustment. The maximum civil penalty for a first violation of the Fair Housing Act was $55,000. Due to inflation, this has been increased to $75,000. Subsequent violators previously faced a penalty of $110,000, which has now been increased to $150,000.

Reasonable Accommodation for those with a disability. While not new, not everyone may be familiar with exactly what falls under the umbrella of reasonable accommodation. Currently, disability is defined by HUD as individuals with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits life activities. These impairments can include visual and hearing impairments, cancer, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, AIDS, mental illness, drug addiction, and chronic alcoholism. These additional protections include making reasonable accommodations in current property rules and policies in order to allow the disabled person to use the housing. Reasonable accommodations can range from assigning a parking space to a resident with a mobility impairment to making an exception to a “no pets” policy to allow a visually or hearing impaired tenant have an assistance animal. They also include things such as removing carpeting in a unit where a resident has severe chemical sensitivity. They also include giving mentally ill tenants the ability to seek treatment prior to evicting them due to violating property rules.

Newer buildings must abide by a different set of standards. For instance, for any buildings built after 1991 that has four or more units, kitchens and bathrooms must be able to be used by those in a wheelchair. Reinforced bathroom walls are also necessary in order to allow the future installation of grab bars. These requirements are for all 4 unit buildings that have an elevator. For buildings that do not have any elevator, these requirements extend to the ground floor units.

For Rent Central Valley – Get Property Management Here

Do you have an apartment, condo or town home for rent Central Valley? Get professional and reliable property management services contact RPM Central Valley today by calling us at (209) 572-2222 or click here to connect with us online.