Columns

  HUD recently charged a Montana landlord and property manager for retaliating against a tenant for exercising her fair housing rights. The retaliatory behavior included coercion, intimidation, threats, or interference in violation of Section 818 of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act prohibits retaliating against anyone for exercising…

Question  A:  We have a Tenant who has refused to fix the water leaks within their mobile home. The park owner pays for the water and there have been significant cost increases due to the leaks.  The Lease is the MHCO Lease from 2003 and states under Tenant Agreements F. Maintain the Home in accordance with conditions set forth in Paragraph 12.A(…

  Continuing previous patterns, most of the 2023 cases alleged discrimination on the basis of disability; most of the disability discrimination claims alleged failure to make reasonable accommodations, specifically with regard to assistance animals. Explanation: The FHA requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations “necessary to afford a…

  In determining whether a landlord has committed discrimination, HUD, fair housing groups, and courts consider not only what policies say but how they’re actually enforced. Rental policies or restrictions that appear neutral on their face will constitute discrimination to the extent they’re selectively enforced based on race, etc. An Idaho…

  Possessing a criminal record isn’t a protected class under the FHA. However, statistics show that a disproportionate number of African Americans are arrested and incarcerated in the U.S., as compared to white persons. As a result, a rental policy of excluding any person with a criminal record may constitute what’s called “disparate impact”…

Trees, Limbs and Roots – Liability Issues   Question:  .  What is the landlord’s responsibility when it comes to trees falling on a tenant’s house. Does it make a difference if it is a hazard tree vs. not a hazard tree? What about roots crossing over a space and causing damage to the home on the tenant’s space or the neighbor’s space? What about…

On the national level, while landlords won roughly two of every three cases in 2023, the most significant fair housing case of the year was a landlord loss. It involved what is rapidly becoming a major source of fair housing litigation, namely, source of income discrimination, which occurs when a landlord excludes an applicant or tenant who has…

Question: My tenant wants to add another person to their Rental Agreement. This new person has completed their application and has been approved. Do I add them to the existing rental agreement?  I plan a rent increase in six months; will that be a problem for me with this new tenant?  

Question:  What are the limitations on late fees?

  Question:  A resident wants to see their file kept by the landlord.  Does the landlord have to show the resident the file?