Fair housing may or may not be a term that you ve heard before, and probably even less so in Mexico. Unless you ve been exposed to real estate then you probably never thought twice about what this term truly meant and chances are, it has not affected you I have been writing about several “Mexico Real Estate Rental” themes including (Pets and Rentals) and (How to Land a Good Tenant), so I thought this would be a good subject to include.
As a Landlord, your must educate yourself with the fair housing laws as there are severe penalties associated with violating these laws in the US In Mexico, this is less regulated, however, as a Landlord in a foreign country, it is recommended that you adopt these fair rental practices too.
I m not going to give you a lesson in Fair Housing but will only outline the basic protected classes of people. When deciding on whom you will rent your Mexico property to, NEVER, EVER, make a decision based upon the following:
Race
Color
National Origin
Religion
Sex
Familial Status (including children under the age of 18 and pregnant women)
Handicap
There are many, many variables to the Fair Housing Laws. I encourage each of you to familiarize yourselves with these laws and make it a practice, regardless of which country your rental property is located in, to treat everyone the same and do not discriminate against the below protected classes. This is Federal Law in the US and good ethics in Mexico.
For more information on the Fair Housing Act, click on the link below.
http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FHLaws/yourrights.cfm
Kami Kemp is both a Texas Realtor and Real Estate Broker in Arizona with Prime Properties. She is a member of the Texas Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Residential Property Managers. She began her career in Property Management and Leasing in 1990, has served on various education committees through local associations and has taught many Fair Housing compliance and marketing classes throughout her career. www.TOPmexicorealestate.com 512-879-6546
