CONCLUSION: INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE PROTECTS AND WELCOMES EVERYONE Fair housing compliance starts with mindful communication. The way you describe your property, verbally or in writing, sends a message about who is welcome. By avoiding assumptions and cultural references and limiting language, you can help avoid potential fair housing complaints. When in doubt, focus on the features of your community and use language that’s neutral and compliant. It’s a small shift with a big impact on both your legal safety and your community’s reputation.
KATHELENE WILLIAMS Attorney and President The Fair Housing Institute
Kathi Williams is one of the founders of Fair Housing Institute. FHI is the accomplished vision of Kathi who views its educational courses as the best method housing providers can use to accomplish compliance and avoid litigation. Kathi is also a partner in the Law Firm of Williams Edelstein Tucker, P.C. providing defense and preventative representation for the housing industry in all civil rights matters. During the many decades Kathi has been advising her housing provider clients, she developed a unique understanding of the most effective methods of communicating fair housing best practices through training.
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