November 2006 Coach's Quiz
We've given you some rules to help you enter residents' apartments without violating fair housing law. Now let's look at how the rules might apply in the real world. Take the COACH's Quiz to see how much you've learned.
INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the following questions has only one correct answer. On a separate piece of paper, write down the number of each question, followed by the answer you think is correct—for example, 1b, 2a, and so on.
COACH's TIP: The correct answers (with explanations) follow the quiz. Good luck!
QUESTION #1
When you go to a resident's apartment to perform routine maintenance, the resident's daughter, who is 9 years old, opens the door. She says her mother had to step out for just a moment, but told her to let you in to do your work when you arrive. What should you do?
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Enter and do your work because the resident gave her permission for you to do so while she was gone.
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Enter, but don't begin work until the resident returns.
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Decline the daughter's invitation to enter, and take no further action.
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Decline the daughter's invitation to enter, notify a supervisor of the situation, make a record of what happened, and reschedule the appointment.
QUESTION #2
As in Question #1, you go to a resident's apartment seeking entry and the resident's 9-year-old daughter opens the door, tells you her mother is out, and invites you in to do your work. But this time you aren't there to perform routine maintenance. Instead, you're responding to a report of a burst pipe that's flooding the resident's apartment and the one below it. What should you do?
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Enter and do your work because it's an emergency.
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Enter, but don't begin work until the resident returns.
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Decline the invitation to enter and take no further action.
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Decline the invitation to enter, notify a supervisor of the situation, and make a record of what happened.
QUESTION #3
Jack goes to Kate's apartment to do his annual inspection. Kate comes to the door wearing a negligee and holding a glass of what appears to be wine. She invites Jack in and asks if he would like a glass of wine, too. What should Jack do?
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Enter the apartment and accept a glass of wine so he doesn't offend Kate.
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Enter the apartment, but decline the glass of wine because drinking on the job is inappropriate. Jack should then proceed with his inspection.
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Enter the apartment, decline the glass of wine, and tell Kate that he can't begin his inspection until she puts on proper clothing.
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Decline Kate's invitation to enter the apartment, notify a supervisor of the situation, make a record of what happened, and reschedule the inspection.
QUESTION #4
When Mark enters the apartment of an Asian family in his community, they ask him to remove his shoes. They explain that this practice is accepted in their culture and warn Mark that if he refuses he'll be discriminating against them on the basis of race, which violates fair housing law. But Mark came to the apartment to clean up debris from a shattered window and replace it with a new one, and he's concerned that he might get hurt if he works without shoes. Must Mark comply with the family's demand?
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Yes, because refusing would be discrimination on the basis of race, even if it would subject Mark to physical danger.
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Yes, because fair housing law forbids the wearing of shoes inside any resident's apartment.
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No, because complying would subject Mark to physical danger and therefore is an unreasonable demand.
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No. Fair housing law doesn't bar discrimination based on race.
Coach's Answers & Explanations
QUESTION #1
Correct answer: d
Reason: Rule #7 applies here:
Rule #7: Never Enter Apartment When the Only Person Present Is Under Age 18
It's far too dangerous from a fair housing perspective to enter an apartment when the only person at home is under 18 years old—even if the resident has indicated that it's okay for you to do so. Unless there's an emergency, the wise course is to leave the apartment and notify a supervisor of the situation. Then you should make a record detailing the date and time of day, and why you chose not to enter the apartment. You should then reschedule the appointment for a time when an adult will be at home.
Wrong answers explained:
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As stated above, there's far too much fair housing risk involved in entering an apartment when the only person at home is under age 18. And the fact that the resident gave her permission doesn't eliminate that risk.
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Whether or not you begin work is irrelevant. You shouldn't be alone in a resident's apartment with anyone under age 18.
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Declining the daughter's invitation to enter is a good idea, but as an additional precaution, you should notify a supervisor, make a record, and reschedule the appointment.
QUESTION #2
Correct answer: a
Reason: Rule #11 applies here:
Rule #11: Make Appropriate Exceptions for Emergencies
A burst pipe is an emergency, so you should make an exception to the rule about entering apartments when the only person at home is under age 18. The need to address the emergency and avoid harm to property and people takes precedence over the need to stay out of apartments where the only person at home is a minor.
Wrong answers explained:
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Once you're inside the apartment, there's no reason to wait for the resident to return before addressing the emergency. You should deal with the burst pipe immediately.
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In an emergency, declining the invitation to enter the apartment and fix the burst pipe isn't necessary —and in fact could lead to complaints from both the resident and the people living in the apartment below.
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As with answer c, this choice is incorrect because the existence of an emergency justifies your entering the apartment, despite the fact that the only person at home is under 18 years old.
QUESTION #3
Correct answer: d
Reason: Rule #8 applies here:
Rule #8: Don't Enter Apartment if Environment Is in Any Way Inappropriate
You shouldn't enter a resident's apartment when the environment is inappropriate in any way. And the environment inside an apartment is certainly inappropriate when the resident is wearing only a negligee and drinking alcohol. In such a situation, there are too many possibilities for misinterpretation, and Jack's presence there could lead to fair housing trouble. So his best bet is to decline to enter Kate's apartment. And as an additional precaution, he should notify a supervisor of the situation; make a record detailing the date, time, and details of why he chose not to enter the apartment; and then reschedule the inspection.
Wrong answers explained:
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It's inappropriate and dangerous from a fair housing perspective to enter an apartment under the conditions described, so Jack should decline the invitation to enter, regardless of whether he might offend Kate. But he should do his best to come up with a discreet excuse for declining to enter.
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Declining the glass of wine, while wise, doesn't eliminate the risks of entering Kate's apartment under the conditions described.
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As explained above, under the conditions described, Jack shouldn't enter the apartment at all. And it's inappropriate for him to ask Kate to put on proper clothing.
QUESTION #4
Correct answer: c
Reason: Rule #10 applies here:
Rule #10: If Reasonable to Do So, Respect Religious, Cultural Traditions
When it's reasonable to do so, you should generally respect your residents' religious and cultural traditions. But it's not reasonable to do so when it would subject you to physical danger. Since Mark came to the apartment to clean up broken glass, it's unreasonable and dangerous for him to do so without wearing shoes. So Mark needn't comply with the family's demand.
Wrong answers explained:
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Cleaning up broken glass without wearing shoes would subject Mark to physical danger, so his refusal to do so wouldn't be discrimination on the basis of race.
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Fair housing law doesn't forbid the wearing of shoes inside any resident's apartment.
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Federal fair housing law makes it illegal to discriminate against residents on the basis of seven characteristics, including race.
See The Lesson For This Quiz
| How to Enter Residents' Apartments Without Violating Fair Housing Law |