COACH's Pop Quiz: Holiday Edition

Q: Your community allows residents to reserve the common room for parties and other social activities, including Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. A resident asks if he can reserve the room to host a pagan celebration to mark the winter solstice. Must you grant his request?

A: Yes. Fair housing law bars communities from treating people differently based on their religious beliefs or practices. The law clearly protects members of established religions, and fair housing experts believe it may be broad enough to cover a wide variety of religious or spiritual beliefs. So you should allow the resident to use the community room to celebrate the winter solstice.

For more guidance on avoiding fair housing trouble this holiday season, see “How to Avoid Religious Discrimination Claims During the Holidays,” available to subscribers here.