How many times have you as a property manager or owner had to answer for the actions of your staff? You may be already familiar with Fair Housing laws, but how familiar with these laws are the people who deal with your tenants and/or prospective tenants on a day by day basis? Your resident manager or assistant manager may not have all the information they need to do their jobs in a professional, competent, and LAWFUL manner. As a real estate broker, can you be sure that your agents are following fair housing laws as they show properties and answer inquiries? Insuring that employees have the proper training is not only an employer's responsibility -- it's just good business. Having your entire team knowledgeable about the laws can save you from costly fair housing violations.

King County's Office of Civil Rights, in cooperation with other local, state, and federal enforcement agencies, has developed an informative Fair Housing education program offered free of charge on a quarterly basis to housing providers and their staff. This three-hour training is designed to help you learn to be proactive - to prevent violations of fair housing laws before they occur. Materials are provided that can be regularly referenced on-site after the training.

Training will include information on:

• An overview of Fair Housing laws, including the jurisdiction, complaint processing timelines and investigative process of the enforcement agencies
• Guidelines on establishing tenant application, screening, and selection procedures
• Renting to persons with disabilities--reasonable modification and reasonable accommodation issues
• Enforcing tenant rules in a non-discriminatory manner
• What is considered retaliation
• What is harassment? What is the landlord's responsibility when another tenant harasses a tenant?

If you have questions about fair housing laws and enforcement, contact the King County Office of Civil Rights at 206-296-7592 or 206-296-7596 TTY.