As a landlord for a single-family home, you must comply with the Federal Fair Housing Act’s requirement to give ‘reasonable accommodations’ to both tenants with disabilities and tenants who reside with or are involved with disabled individuals. However, what is ‘reasonable accommodation’ and what would be ‘unreasonable’?
To begin with, “reasonable accommodation” may refer to modifications related to the physical aspects of a rental home. This could include simple adjustments, such as lowering light switches and towel bars or installing a smoke alarm that features both flashing lights and an audible sound. Additionally, the tenant is responsible for both the installation and removal of these accommodations.
Alongside physical changes, tenants may also request reasonable administrative accommodations. For instance, if a tenant has a mental disability that affects their memory, they might ask for a monthly reminder call to help them remember to pay their rent. This would be considered a reasonable request.
Let’s examine an example of what might be deemed “unreasonable.” One of the key concerns is whether a requested accommodation would impose a hardship on you as a housing provider. For example, if you have a two-story single-family rental property and a tenant with a physical disability requests the installation of an elevator, you could deny this request as it would require major construction and could be prohibitively expensive.
Similarly, an unreasonable accommodation request could arise on the administrative side as well. Suppose you own a single-family home and receive a request from a potential tenant with a mental impairment to call them every morning and evening to remind them to turn the exterior lights on at night and off in the morning. This request could be considered unreasonable, and as a landlord, you would be within your rights to deny it.
Real Property Management Northern Utah knows the Fair Housing Act requirements very well and how they apply to you as an Orem landlord with a single-family home. We can help you navigate these requirements to make sure that you are in compliance when renting to people with disabilities.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
