WHAT ABOUT TENANTS WITH DISABILITIES?
Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords are required to make reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities. This may include allowing service or emotional support animals in a no-pet building or permitting the installation of grab bars in a bathroom. Rejecting a tenant solely because of their disability
or because they request an accommodation is illegal unless the request causes undue hardship. Undue hardship refers to an accommodation that would be excessively costly or difficult to implement; to demonstrate this, landlords should obtain quotes from multiple sources to show they made a good-faith effort to accommodate the tenant.
WHAT TENANTS CAN DO AFTER A REJECTION
If their application is rejected, tenants are entitled to ask why. Landlords who deny based on credit must provide an adverse action notice if a third- party credit report was used. A custom adverse action letter, or declination letter, is provided with every AAOA tenant screening report, so that you can print or email it and provide it to the applicant. If a tenant suspects discrimination, they can:
✓ File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or your state’s fair housing agency. ✓ Contact a local tenant rights organization for assistance. ✓ Seek legal advice from a housing attorney, sometimes pro bono.
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