Category Archives: Fair Housing Acts

FL HOA fines family of autistic boy to remove back yard fence (repost)

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Boy painting fence

  By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities (Note to subscribers: reposting due to spam attack of original link) Rarely does a week go by that we don’t hear about a Fair Housing complaint filed against an HOA-governed community. The latest buzz involves a family in Sarasota, Florida. Mike and Michelle Morley, parents of Mason, a 9-year-old autistic boy, ran into trouble with the Harbour Walk HOA after they installed a back yard fence. Mike Morley, Continue ReadingFL HOA fines family of autistic boy to remove back yard fence (repost)→

Chicago condo owner’s long-running Fair Housing case settled

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Gavel and legal books lawsuit court

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Last week Michael Novak, a plaintiff in a fair housing lawsuit against State Parkway Condominium Association and others, distributed a news release announcing an out-of-court settlement of his 13-year-long dispute over his family’s service animal. The Novaks, who are both deaf, live with their daughter and a service dog named Hera. Hera alerts the Novaks to doorbells, ringing telephones, alarms, and other situations that hearing people take for granted. Continue ReadingChicago condo owner’s long-running Fair Housing case settled→

No more religious discrimination: Feds to review Bay View’s home sales for 5 years

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Property owners who sued the Bay View Association on charges of religious discrimination in 2017 scored a victory this week.  A Department of Justice mediator hammered out an agreement with the community’s board of trustees, following HUD’s determination in February. As reported in February, HUD found that Bay View’s policy requiring new homeowners to be practicing Christians was a violation of First Amendment religious freedoms and the Fair Housing Continue ReadingNo more religious discrimination: Feds to review Bay View’s home sales for 5 years→

HOA law in Maryland streamlines deletion of racial, religious discriminatory covenants

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50th anniversary fair housing HUD poster

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Rodgers Forge, a deed restricted neighborhood in Towson, Maryland is reportedly the first homeowners association-governed community to delete covenants restricting residency based upon race, religious belief, or national origin. The Towson Times reports that volunteers from the 1,800 home neighborhood spent months searching and identifying 85 recorded covenants with racially restrictive language. The group worked alongside their HOA and their neighbors to strike illegal restrictions under the Fair Housing Continue ReadingHOA law in Maryland streamlines deletion of racial, religious discriminatory covenants→