Home
>
Political
>
Accessibility Requirements for Fair Housing

Accessibility Requirements for Fair Housing

Policy

Federal Fair Housing accessibility requirements for new multifamily buildings should be written in building code language certified as Fair Housing compliant by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD should be vigilant in compliance education and assistance as is NAHB. Use of Fair Housing Initiatives Program funding for enforcement actions should be curtailed. Any enforcement actions should be reasonable and reflect the lack of clear guidance available for complying with the Act.

Background

The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 requires new multifamily buildings constructed for first occupancy after March 13, 1991 and consisting of four or more units to be accessible to disabled persons. HUD issued accessibility guidelines on March 6, 1991 and a supplementary design manual in August 1996 to provide guidance on complying with the law. But HUD's guidelines were poorly promulgated and not written in building code language, making it impractical for builders and local officials to define compliance, which has led to conflicting interpretations and inadvertent failures to meet certain requirements.

In response, building code language was cooperatively developed by NAHB, HUD, the International Code Council, and disability advocates and completed in May 2000. HUD has certified that the building code language satisfies the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act and NAHB is promoting state and local adoption of the compliant code language. Federal promulgation of the requirements must still be intensified, however, if compliance is to be improved.

Addressing noncompliance of existing covered buildings (constructed for occupancy after March 13, 1991) remains contentious. Federally funded private advocacy groups and state and local housing agencies, HUD, and the Department of Justice are all actively involved in current enforcement actions and will continue to be. These actions are often threatening, based on questionably broad interpretations of federal requirements, fail to reflect the lack of compliance assistance at the time of construction, and divert resources that could otherwise be applied to more proactive solutions.

Solutions

Urge HUD to maintain compliance education as a priority and to actively participate in the building code amendment process to help ensure building code requirements are compliant with Fair Housing accessibility requirements. Further, urge HUD's timely review of compliant building codes and approval of them as a safe harbor for compliance with Fair Housing accessibility requirements and to develop a more reasonable approach to addressing non-compliance.

Continue to support and actively participate in ongoing education and training efforts to inform builders about accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act.

Maintain NAHB's Fair Housing Accessibility Education Accord with HUD as a demonstration of NAHB's commitment to improving compliance through education and continue participation in HUD funded compliance initiatives. Support the nationwide adoption of model accessibility building codes endorsed by HUD as providing a safe harbor for complying with the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act.

Work with other interested groups, including building product manufacturers, disability advocates, real estate, and multifamily design and construction groups to promote education, outreach, and compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act.

Urge HUD to prohibit the use of Fair Housing Initiatives Program funding for litigation.

Work with the Department of Justice to develop clear criteria for enforcing the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act.

Support legislative or regulatory changes that would limit liability for industry members who were involved in the design and construction of non-compliant buildings due to a lack of clear guidance, and who made a good faith effort to meet the requirements of the law.

Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com

Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

cleaning team near Mundelein ..

In The News:

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.

Third-party security breach at Discord exposes sensitive user information including government IDs, highlighting cybersecurity risks from external service providers.

Survey of 1,000 students shows teens using AI for personal relationships while two-thirds of parents remain unaware of their children's AI usage.

Cybersecurity experts warn about a ShadowLeak vulnerability that weaponized ChatGPT's Deep Research agent to steal personal data from Gmail accounts through hidden commands.

Tesla's Full Self-Driving system faces federal investigation following 58 reports of crashes, with six vehicles running red lights before colliding with other cars.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest developments on artificial intelligence, with news on OpenAI moving to soon allow erotica for adult users.

Eric Schmidt alerts that hackers can reverse-engineer AI models to bypass safety measures, citing examples like the jailbroken ChatGPT variant called DAN.

Cybercriminals exploit Microsoft Teams through impersonation, malicious links and fake profiles to gather intel and deliver ransomware to personal and work devices.

Google, Dior, Allianz and dozens of other companies lost sensitive customer data in Salesforce-related breaches affecting millions of records across multiple sectors.

Apple launches iOS 26 with new Preview app that combines document editing, PDF annotation and scanning features into one streamlined iPhone experience.

New AI road monitoring system uses sensor-embedded fabric to predict infrastructure problems, potentially reducing maintenance costs and traffic disruptions for cities.

Holiday charity scams target retirees through lookalike organization names, untraceable payment requests, and data broker information to steal donations.

The Federal Trade Commission says criminals are posing as IRS agents, law enforcement officers or other officials, often over the phone or online, to steal thousands of dollars at a time.

AI phishing scams now use voice cloning and deepfake technology to trick victims, but Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals warning signs to watch for.

Inversion Space unveils Arc, a reusable reentry vehicle that can deliver up to 500 pounds of cargo from orbit to anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

Red flags like processing fees, urgent countdowns and requests for full Social Security numbers expose fraudulent settlement sites targeting consumers.

Comprehensive analysis of Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps examines usability, routing accuracy, data handling and features across the top navigation platforms.

Expert analysis reveals whether wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi connections are safer for home internet use, plus practical steps to secure your network from attackers.

Australian construction robot Charlotte uses sand, crushed brick and recycled glass to 3D print fireproof, floodproof homes with reduced carbon footprint.

Cybercriminals are using fake invitation emails to trick recipients into downloading malware and stealing personal information and data.

Flying drones could help retailers fight a 93% increase in theft rates as Flock Safety promotes airborne security systems to track suspects and deter crime.

The Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter brings you the latest news on the emerging technology every Saturday, highlighting top stories.

Hacker group Radiant stole data from 8,000 children at Kido nursery chain, demanding ransom and directly contacting parents with intimidation tactics.

As 18 states implement bell-to-bell cell phone bans, creative students use Google Docs, iMessage on MacBooks and Post-It notes to stay connected in class.

Accessibility Requirements for Fair Housing

Political