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Washington State FAIR HOUSING UPDATE |
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FAIR HOUSING CHARGES by the Seattle Office for Civil Rights It's always a bad idea to discriminate, but it's even worse to follow up by retaliating against your residents when they point it out to you. The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) has issued a pair of reasonable cause findings against the same local property owner for a series of discriminatory acts involving family status and several instances of retaliation. In the first case, the owner asked her resident manager questions about the race, ethnicity, and family status of some prospective applicants. The resident manager told her he was uncomfortable answering her questions because he feared he could be a party to discrimination. A few days later, the owner left a voice message with the resident manager informing him and his wife that it was not working out and they should find a new place to live. The couple then filed a fair housing charge, alleging retaliation. The owner refused to return her resident managers' damage deposit, claiming that they had broken the lease and denying that she had threatened them with eviction. But the couple had it on tape – they had saved the owner's voice message telling them to get out. Another charge involving the same owner soon surfaced. A couple with a new baby alleged family status discrimination, because the owner attempted to raise their rent with a "surcharge" based on increased water usage by the baby. When the owner learned that the couple was considering talking to a fair housing agency, she refused to renew the couple's lease. SOCR found reasonable cause in both cases, and has referred them to the City's Law Department for further action. Have a question about fair housing in Seattle? Call the Seattle Office for Civil Rights at 206-684-4500 (TTY 206-684-4503), or find SOCR on the web at www.seattle.gov/civilrights. OCR Fair Housing Home Page | Comments Updated: July 1, 2009 King County | DES | OCR | News | Services | Search Links to external sites do not constitute
endorsements by King County. |