When A Discrimination Complaint Is Filed Against You–What Next?
Discrimination investigations led by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can be both time-consuming and costly for multifamily housing providers. A first-time Fair Housing Act Violation can accrue a penalty as high as $21,000 with even greater penalties for previous infractions. Knowing how the investigation process works and how you can respond appropriately helps reduce your risk of incurring the potentially hefty sanctions HUD can impose.
It’s important to understand the multiple steps, procedures, and deadlines that come into play if a discrimination case is filed against you or your organization, especially as complaints will often name individual property managers directly, in addition to the corporate entity or owner associated with the complainant’s housing.
What To Do, And When
To help you navigate this process, Grace Hill has partnered with the attorneys at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd to cover everything you need to know: What Happens When a Discrimination Case is Filed Against You. Inside, you’ll find extensive guidance around these topics and more:
- How to respond to a complaint
- Investigation, Administrative, and Litigation Procedures
- Potential Damages & Sanctions (including a list of Outcomes in 2017 for Fair Housing Act Cases Sent to the Department of Justice)
- A list of each step in the process and related deadlines
Maintain Compliance with the Leader in Multifamily
The best way to avoid a HUD investigation is to ensure your personnel avoid discrimination in the first place. Grace Hill offers policies, training, and assessment that can help your company communicate and train on compliance requirements–and evaluate whether requirements are being met. We are also the only organization in the industry providing Compliance Refreshers: 30 – 45-minute courses that build on key compliance knowledge, including Fair Housing, and inform learners of critical updates in the law. We want to help you stay informed, reduce the risk of discrimination complaints, and elevate your property’s performance on all levels.
For a full overview of what to do in this complex situation, download What Happens When a Discrimination Complaint Is Filed Against You today.
