COACH's Pop Quiz!

Q: Your community recently broke ground on a renovation project. A few weeks into the construction, you receive a request from a resident for a transfer to another unit away from the construction as a reasonable accommodation. The resident, who lives on the first floor near the project, says that he has post-traumatic stress disorder related to his time in military service and that the noise from the construction is triggering nightmares and other symptoms of his condition. He’s submitted the proper paperwork to substantiate his condition and disability-related need for a transfer, but the only unit available is a larger unit with a significantly higher monthly rent. He doesn’t want to pay additional rent, so you can deny his transfer request. True or false?

A: False, according to recent ruling by a court, which ordered a California community to move a disabled veteran and his family to a more expensive unit—and to allow him to stay there until the end of his lease [Holland v. The Related Companies, Inc., California, July 2015].

For more on this case, and other recent court rulings on fair housing law, see the Coach’s September lesson, available to subscribers here.