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Houston Landlords: What is ‘Reasonable Accommodation’ for Disabled Residents?

A Beautiful Single Level Home with Reasonable Accommodations for a Disabled Resident in HoustonYou as a property owner in Houston must adhere to what the Federal Fair Housing Act’s requirements are. You should be aware of what your responsibilities are when it comes to providing for your tenants and for the management of your property. One of the many requirements that are being asked of you is the allowing of ‘reasonable accommodations’ which covers your disabled residents and their immediate people in charge (who are living with them). You, of course, may be wondering what is ‘reasonable accommodation’ and what is not?

To begin with, ‘reasonable accommodation’ may be for the physical elements of the rental home, and might include basic modifications, such as allowing a tenant’s caregiver to access the laundry facility to do laundry on the tenant’s behalf , or a smoke alarm that has flashing lights in addition to an audible alarm. Additionally, the resident would pay for both the installation and removal of these accommodations.

In addition to accommodations to the physical aspects of the residence, you may be asked to provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ on the administrative side. For example, you might have a resident with a mental disability that affects their memory. This resident might request that you call each month to remind them to pay the rent. This would be considered reasonable.

Now let’s look at an example of what might be considered ‘unreasonable.’ One of the key considerations in this respect is whether the accommodation would impose hardship on you as a housing provider. For example, suppose you own a two-story single-family rental house and receive a request that you install an elevator for a person with a physical disability. This could be denied as it would require major construction and cost a great deal.

An unreasonable accommodation request could appear on the administrative side as well. Suppose you own a single-family residence and receive a request from a potential resident with a mental impairment to call them each morning and evening to remind them to turn the exterior lights on at night and off in the morning. This could be considered unreasonable, and you as a landlord could deny this request.

Real Property Management Prestige is well-versed in the Fair Housing Act requirements and how they apply to you as a Houston landlord with a single-family residence. We can help you navigate these requirements to ensure that you are in compliance when renting to individuals with disabilities. Would you like to learn more? Please contact us online or call us at 281-532-5455 for more information.

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.

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