May 2018
Rental Housing Journal Valley
3. RHAOregon President’s Message 4. Application of Payments and 72 Hour Notices 6. How to Save Money and Water in Apartments 7. Dear Maintenance Men
EUGENE · SALEM ·ALBANY · CORVALLIS WWW.RENTALHOUSINGJOURNAL.COM • PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING, INC
Social Media Tenant Screening Risks and Fair Housing 4 Outdoor Flooring Options for your Rentals
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amaged or worn outdoor flooring, pavement and surfaces can be responsible for making your property look poorly kept. These surfaces can also endanger the safety of your tenants as cracks, holes and general wear make it easier to slip, trip and fall. Our expert contractors have provided a breakdown of common materials for outdoor flooring. We have included the pros and cons of each material to help you choose what works best considering your design preferences, pricing, weather-resistance and overall longevity. Number 1 - Natural stone is a beautiful outdoor flooring option Natural stone can present unique variegations in a variety of colors, which results in a beautiful, one-of-a-kind accent in your outdoor space. It can be custom-cut to be arranged accordingly to a preferred pattern and look, with irregular shapes being used for meandering mosaics and modular stones being used when a more regular and symmetrical appearance is desired. Pros • Extremely durable - natural stone is rather tough. It stands strong against the elements and wear and tear, usually requiring little to no maintenance. • Environmentally friendly and safe - as a natural material, stone is not engineered utilizing chemicals or other substances that can be toxic to humans and the environment. • Affordable when local - a unique quality of natural stone is that local varieties are generally more affordable. Purchasing a type of stone that is characteristic to your ...continued on page 5 Professional Publishing Inc., PO Box 6244 Beaverton, OR 97007
By Ellen Clark
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ave you thought about using social media tenant screening as a way to checkout potential tenants on social media or checking on current residents on social media? The Grace Hill training tip of the week focuses on this issue and the Fair Housing Act. Social media can be a tempting tool to
find more information about tenants and prospective tenants, but the information you find can leave you vulnerable to discrimination claims. But what about looking up applicants or residents on social media? Can that be problematic from a fair housing perspective? Let’s take a look. First some background as the topic of social media and fair housing is back in the
headlines. In March, fair housing organizations filed a lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the company of allowing real estate companies and landlords to exclude women and families with children from seeing certain housing ads. The lawsuit, filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, alleges that the world’s largest social network still allows advertisers to discriminate against legally protected groups, including mothers, the disabled and Spanish-language speakers. Diane Houk, lead counsel for the alliance, told ProPublica this type of discrimination is especially difficult to uncover and combat. “The person who is being discriminated against has no way to know” it, because the ...continued on page 5
Can Tenants Have Multiple Assistance Animals? By Ellen Clark
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y now you’ve probably figured out that complying with assistance animal requests is confusing and difficult. One of the situations that many people find particularly confusing is when there are multiple animals involved and an apartment complex that may have a onepet rule. • Can residents have more than one assistance animal? • Can residents have pets and assistance animals?
Can a resident have more than one assistance animal? The Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) do not limit the number of assistance animals one person can have.
PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit #5460
Consider these assistance animals scenarios: • A person with a visual disability and a seizure disorder may use a guide dog to get around and another animal to be alerted to oncoming seizures • A person might need two assistance animals for the same task, such as two dogs for stability when walking If a resident requests multiple animals, you may request documentation to show that each animal provides disability-related assistance or emotional support. Remember that you can only request documentation for the animals where the disability-related need is not obvious or known to you. What if I have a one-pet policy and a resident with a pet requests an assistance
animal, too? If a person with a disability has a pet and makes a reasonable accommodation request to have an assistance animal too, you cannot deny the request just because of your one-pet policy. Remember, assistance animals are not pets. If the number of animals requested becomes unreasonable or you think it presents an undue hardship to your community, consult with your legal counsel to see if you can legally deny the request. Open communication with residents is best solution Remember, evaluating a reasonable accommodation request should be an individualized process with an ongoing dialog between you and the resident. Often people file discrimination claims ...continued on page 4
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