Nationwide there’s massive confusion – and, yes, abuse as well – when it comes to service and assistance animals and a blitz of online verifications that have hit the housing industry. We’ll quickly review the basics of accommodations under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) as well as clarify important distinctions between service and assistance animals, along with other, ubiquitous terms such as emotional support animal. Then we’ll move on to trends in state legislation and HUD guidance as it relates specifically to the issue of verification.
Webinar Objectives
- Recognize basic principals of fair housing law generally, and disability protections more specifically
- Distinguish Reasonable Accommodations from Modification, and appreciate the Verification Process Used for Either
- Realize the Breadth of Possible Verifiers
- Recognize that Animal RAs Are Different, and Familiarize Self with Latest Guidance and Resources
Webinar Agenda
- Brief review of the Fair Housing Act (FHA)
- Discussion of FHA’s Disability Protections
- Explanation of the Reasonable Accommodation / Modification (RA / RM) Process
- Delve into Who Can Verify RAs & RM
- Particulars of Animal Accommodations & HUD’s Latest Guidance
- Q&A
Webinar Highlights
- A brief review of disability protections and the accommodation / verification process including fundamental principles of accommodation under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA)
- Discussion on animals as a disability-related accommodation
- Important differences between pets, service animals, and assistance animals as well as other classifications such as emotional support animal, companion animal, etc
- Examination of who can serve to verify a qualifying disability and the need for accommodation, including states' attempts to curb the proliferation of online verification
- How these state laws relate to the federal FHA
Who Should Attend
- Leasing and on-site managers
- Portfolio managers
- Compliance officers
- Resident services coordinators (in affordable housing communities)
- Community concierges (in high-end housing communities)
- Independent landlords or small, “Mom and Pop” operators
- Service technicians, lead technicians, maintenance supervisors
- Homeowners association and community managers
Jo Becker
A Realtor®-turned-fair housing advocate, Jo Becker was a licensed housing provider for 8 years before working for a statewide fair housing nonprofit for 10 years. There she trained over 10,000 individuals to consistently rave reviews. Jo focuses on training property managers, maintenance and service technicians, and private landlords, as well as sales agents. Jo has also studied emergency preparedness and disaster response with a focus on animals since 2005, and often combines the two to bring urgent, timely information about animals to the housing industry. Today Jo’s career is an unexpected alchemy of public speaking and writing on topics that blend lifelong passions and...
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