[CIVIL. REG.,040896,0800]

Housing Tests

(Iowa Civil Rights Commission; 04/08/96; 0800)

IOWA CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDUCTS HOUSING TESTS IN FORT DODGE

On February 7 and 8, 1996, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) conducted 36 housing tests in Fort Dodge, Iowa and found 3 possible violations of federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

Under the "Iowa Civil Rights Act," a landlord cannot refuse to rent to persons because of race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, or familial status (the presence of persons under age 18 in the household). Also under the Act, landlords cannot discourage persons from making application or considering their rental property because of one of those protected personal characteristics.

In a test to determine whether a family with children would be treated differently because of familial status, the landlord told the tester, "There's a lot of retired people in the building and the reason I ask [whether the tester had children] is I don't want any children running around up there."

In another "familial status" test, the rental manager discouraged the tester, a couple with two children, from considering an advertised two bedroom apartment because of the tester's familial status. The manager told the tester, "The problem with children in the apartments is that there's really no place for them to play. [The apartments] are right on a hill and there's no yard anywhere so it wouldn't be very beneficial for a child wanting to run around. There'd be no place to go with them outside . . . I'll have to check with the owners and see if they want children in there."

State and federal fair housing laws prohibit landlords and their managers from discouraging families with children from considering their property. Landlords must allow prospective tenants to decide whether the property is suitable.

In a "disability" test, the manager of the rental property told the tester that she didn't know if the tester would be allowed to install grab bars in the bathroom to accommodate the tester's disability without first talking to the property owners. Under State and federal fair housing laws, owners of rental property must allow tenants with disabilities to make reasonable modifications at the tenants' expense in order to accommodate their disabilities. Owners are responsible to educate their employees and agents regarding fair housing laws.

Under the current testing program funded by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the ICRC is testing landlords and realtors in 51 Iowa communities to determine whether applicants for rental units are treated differently because of race, disability, or familial status.

Since February 15, 1995, the ICRC has conducted 767 tests of landlords and realtors in 41 communities and found 120 possible violations of fair housing laws.

The ICRC's purpose in testing is to educate and reform. Everyone who is tested is contacted and informed about the test and the test results. Persons who pass the tests are thanked for following the law and persons who do not pass are either counseled regarding the law or served with a complaint, depending on the seriousness of the violation.

The Commission sponsors monthly fair housing training sessions as part of its on-going work of informing citizens of Iowa about their rights and responsibilities under the civil rights laws. The ICRC has also recently published a new, 16-page Fair Housing Guide which is free upon request.

For more information on the training sessions or to obtain a copy of the new Fair Housing Guide, contact the ICRC's public education officer, Carol Leach, at 515- 281-8354.