Reasonable accommodations are a unique part of the fair housing laws. Fair housing usually means that people should be treated the same, but sometimes
people with disabilities need to be treated differently in order to have an equal opportunity to use and enoy their housing. A reasonable accommodation is a change in a housing policy or practice that is needed because of a person’s disability. Landlords are required to grant a reasonable accommodation unless the request would be a significant financial burden or fundamentally alter the nature of their operations. An unjustified denial of a reasonable accommodation is
considered an act of illegal discrimination. Common requests include an assigned parking space for a person with a mobility impairment even though the parking lot policy is first-come-first served. Another common reasonable accommodation is waiving a no-pet policy for a service animal or emotional support animal. Reasonable accommodations could be any policy change needed because of the person’s disability. The number of calls Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) receives suggests that both tenants and landlords often are confused by the requirement to grant requests for reasonable accommodations. Last year, almost half of all HOME’s fair housing calls involved reasonable accommodations. Don’t get involved in a tangled situation with a fair housing complaint due to lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of this very topic. It could cost you both time and money! Come hear Deb Jetter on July 5 at 6 pm at the Cincinnati  Hamilton County Community Action Agency as she explains your obligations as a landlord or property manager in regards to reasonable accommodations. Don’t miss this meeting!