Reasonable Accommodations
A “reasonable accommodation” is a change, exception, or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice, or service that may be necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, including public and common use spaces. Since rules, policies, practices, and services may have a different effect on persons with disabilities than on other persons, treating persons with disabilities exactly the same as others will sometimes deny them an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.
The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to refuse to make reasonable accommodations to rules, policies, practices, or services when such accommodations may be necessary to afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.
Examples:
- Reserved parking space
- Early lease release
- Transfer units
- Sync rent due date with date disability income received
- More time to comply with notice
Assistance Animals
Click here for article: New HUD Guidance Offers Housing Providers Best Practices for Assessing Reasonable Accommodation Requests for Assistance Animals, Marley J. Hochendoner, Executive Director, Northwest Fair Housing Alliance, February 2020
Click here to reach HUD Jan. 28, 2020 Guidance: Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act, FHEO Notice 2020-10.
Persons with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal, including an emotional support animal, under the Fair Housing Act.
An assistance animal is not a pet. It is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability.
The Fair Housing Act does not require an assistance animal to be individually trained or certified.
While dogs are the most common type of assistance animal, other animals can also be assistance animals.
Housing providers are to evaluate a request for a reasonable accommodation to possess an assistance animal in a dwelling using the general principles applicable to all reasonable accommodation requests.