October 2006 Coach's Quiz

Coach's Answers & Explanations

QUESTION #1

Correct answer: c

Reason: Rule #2 applies here:

Rule #2: Don't Advertise that Children Are Unwelcome in Your Community

The best way to advertise your community is by describing the apartments, not what kinds of residents are preferred. Advertising for particular kinds of prospects can only lead to fair housing trouble.

Wrong answers explained:

1. Although it sounds as if you're describing the community, this ad really describes the kind of resident preferred, and you can't advertise or state preferences for particular kinds of residents without violating fair housing law.

2. This is an obvious statement of preference for a particular kind of resident, which you can't do under fair housing law.

3. This sounds fine, except that by stating a preference for children over 18 years old, you're discriminating against children under 18, which you can't do.

QUESTION #2

Correct answer: d

Reason: Rule #3 applies here:

Rule #3: Don't Force a Single Mother and Her Child to Live in a Two-Bedroom Apartment

Federal occupancy guidelines let two people share a bedroom, even if they're of the opposite sex. So a single mother and one child may rent a one-bedroom apartment and share that bedroom even if the child is a boy.

Wrong answers explained:

1. The occupancy rules for this community violate fair housing law, and barring a single mother and her child from sharing a one-bedroom apartment is housing discrimination.

2. Telling a single mother with a child that she must rent something other than what she wants, because she isn't married and intends to share the bedroom with her son, is discrimination based on sex and familial status.

3. Telling people that you won't rent to them because of their marital status doesn't violate federal housing law. But if you say that you don't want single mothers with children in your community, you're violating federal housing law on the grounds of sex and familial status. Your personal judgments about a single mother's family structure could get you into fair housing trouble.

QUESTION #3

Correct answer: a

Reason: Rule #4 applies here:

Rule #4: Consider Child Support and Alimony as Lawful Sources of Income

Some states and localities bar discrimination based on source of income. Alimony and child support are lawful sources of income. Even if your state doesn't have a law now that bars discrimination based on source of income, it may adopt one in the future.

Wrong answers explained:

1. A concern about whether your prospect will be able to pay the rent is legitimate. But if she qualifies, the source of her income shouldn't make a difference, as long as it's lawful. Your fears about her ability to pay the rent shouldn't be any different than if her income came from a job.

2. You must rent to your prospect the apartment she requests as long as she meets your community's criteria as a resident. If her income qualifies her for a two-bedroom apartment, you can't refuse to rent it to her, and you can't tell her where she or her children must sleep.

3. Your community has established requirements for what a prospect must show you to prove that she can afford to rent in your community. Pay stubs and bank documents are usually what prospects show you to prove they can pay the rent. If you don't require an interview with a prospect's boss to prove that a prospect is gainfully employed, you can't require an interview with an ex-husband to satisfy you that he'll pay his court-ordered alimony and child support. But you can require a single-mother prospect to bring you a copy of her court order and deposit slips or bank balances to prove that her income is what she says it is.

QUESTION #4

Correct answer: b

Reason: Rule #5 applies here:

Rule #5: Don't Steer

When a prospect inquires about an apartment in your community, you can't show her only those apartments you think are best suited to her needs. While your intentions may be good, you have to let the single mother with children decide for herself what's best for her and her family, regardless of what you think would be best for them.

Wrong answers explained:

1. Your fear about the safety of Charlotte's children is commendable, but only Charlotte can decide where she and her family will live. You can tell her that the only two-bedroom apartments available in your community are in a building near the highway. But then it's Charlotte's decision to make—not yours—about whether she wants to rent one of those apartments.

2. Don't lie, and don't decide where you think Charlotte and her children would be happiest in your community. Making that decision for them is steering, and that violates fair housing law.

3. Your intentions may be good, but it's still steering if you tell a prospect where you think she would be happiest in your community. Listen to her requirements and then show her everything in your community that meets those requirements. That way, the prospect has all the information and can decide without your steering her to or from any particular place in your community.

QUESTION #5

Correct answer: a

Reason: Rule #6 applies here:

Rule #6: Ban Employees from Dating Residents

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination. When a single mother is pressured into a social relationship with a property owner or employee because she fears that if she refuses, she'll lose her apartment or have to wait longer for repairs, then she's the victim of housing discrimination. The best way to avoid this in your community is by banning dating between prospects or residents and community employees.

Wrong answers explained:

1. If you let employees date your prospects or residents, you leave yourself open to a claim of housing discrimination based on sexual harassment.

2. Refusing to rent to a single mother with children because she won't date your employee is fair housing discrimination. It's also a form of blackmail.

3. Again, the best way to avoid housing discrimination based on this kind of sexual harassment is to make it a policy in your community that everyone should find their dates elsewhere. Your community should be off-limits to your employees when it comes to dating.