The Fair Housing Act by Real Property Management South Orlando

The Fair Housing Act was originally passed in 1968 on the heels of the Civil Rights Act, and it was subsequently broadened in 1988. The laws were created to foster ”diverse and inclusive communities and to prohibit discrimination” based on someone’s inclusion in one or more protected classes, which on a federal level consist of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. State and local laws may include additional protected classes.

Protected classes under federal law
•Race
•Color
•Religion
•Sex
•National origin
•Familial status
•Physical or mental disability

State and local protections can include:
•LGBT status
•Citizenship
•Age (40 and over)
•Veteran status
•Genetic information
•Political ideology
•Sexual orientation
•Gender identity
•Others

Discrimination, in fair housing terms, means treating someone differently based on their inclusion in a protected class. By following a documented protocol and responding to every potential renter in the same way when you receive an inquiry about your property, you are more likely to avoid fair housing violations.
At Real Property Management Orlando, we establish and document the criteria that an applicant needs to meet to be considered for tenancy, and use the same criteria when reviewing all applicants. Properly qualify renters using a rental application; renters can be required to have a verifiable source of income, a good credit score or a clean criminal record. Questions regarding financial history, prior evictions or reasons for moving are also allowed and will give you a more complete picture of the applicant.

Using a standardized rental application helps ensure that we choose tenants that are qualified; those who do not meet our tenant screening criteria can be identified based on appropriate, uniformly applied standards. If we decide to reject a renter, we inform them that they weren’t approved and provide a reason. Real Property Management Orlando keeps all completed applications and screening documents on file so we can verify that we rejected a renter for non-discriminatory reasons, such as poor credit or a criminal record.