Fair Housing Advertising
Advertise without Discriminating
Among housing providers, it's common knowledge that putting up a sign in front of an apartment building that says "no children" or "adults only" would be discriminating against families with children. Housing providers also need to be careful not to use ads that say, "perfect house for couple," or "Christian family preferred." As a general rule, ads should not contain words that express a preference based on a protected class.
Suggestions for Housing Providers
Drafting Tenant and Community Rules
A good rule to follow when drafting rules or regulations is to draft them so they don't single out children or members of a protected class. Rather than having a sign that says, "Children are prohibited from running in the common areas," simply say, "No running in the common areas."Instead of saying, "Children keep off the grass," just say,"Keep off the grass."Rules and regulations that apply to "all residents" are less suspect than rules that single out children.
Housing and People with Disabilities
In 1991 the General Assembly added "handicap" as an additional protected class to Virginia's Fair Housing Law. Handicap or disability includes, but is not limited to, physical or mobility limitations, psychological disorders, emotional and mental illnesses, learning disabilities and addiction recovery. If someone is disabled, you cannot refuse to rent to them because of their disability.
Accessible Housing
Accessible Housing - Design & Construction for Multi-Family Housing
In 1988, Congress added design and construction requirements to the Fair Housing Law, requiring "new multi-family housing" be designed and constructed with certain accessible features. "New" means anything built after March 13, 1991. "Multi-family housing" means any project with four or more units and includes condominiums, apartments and single-story townhouses.
Design and Construction Requirements
The seven design and construction requirements are:
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Fees and Payments
Fees
Fees are established by the applicable Board in accordance with the Code of Virginia. DPOR and its regulatory boards receive no general funds or tax revenues from the Commonwealth. The total costs, direct and indirect, of each regulatory program, are funded 100% through fees collected.
Doing Business with DPOR
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This public body does not discriminate against faith-based organizations in accordance with the Code of Virginia, §2.2-4343.1 or against an Offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment.
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DPOR Offices at the Perimeter Center
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