Legal and Risk Management Flashcards

The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on which protected classes?

Answer: Race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability

The federal Fair Housing Act (1968, amended 1988) protects seven classes: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.

What is 'steering' under Fair Housing law?

Answer: Directing tenants toward or away from neighborhoods based on protected characteristics

Steering is the illegal practice of guiding prospective tenants toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their protected class membership.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what is a 'reasonable accommodation'?

Answer: A change in rules, policies, or services to enable a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing

A reasonable accommodation is a change in policies, practices, or procedures that gives a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing.

What is the legal standard known as the 'implied warranty of habitability'?

Answer: Landlord must maintain the property in livable, safe, and sanitary condition

The implied warranty of habitability requires landlords to maintain rental units in a safe, sanitary, and livable condition throughout the tenancy.

What is 'constructive eviction'?

Answer: When the landlord's failure to maintain the property forces a tenant to vacate

Constructive eviction occurs when a landlord's neglect makes the property uninhabitable, effectively forcing the tenant to leave without formal eviction proceedings.

Which federal law requires disclosure of lead-based paint hazards in housing built before 1978?

Answer: The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (Title X)

Title X (the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992) requires sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead paint hazards.