FAIR HOUSING TIP OF THE MONTH

Each year, Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS) produces a collection of guides with tips related to fair housing protections. These guides offer a closer look at many of the protections that our advocates help utilize in their advocacy. The tips are meant to be accessible to anyone who is interested in fair housing law, including practitioners, community members, and advocates like case workers. These tips are made possible by grants awarded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Our collection of fair housing tips is ordered by month and year.

Fair Housing Tips, 2025

FAIR HOUSING TIPS, 2023-2024

PAST FAIR HOUSING TIP OF THE MONTH CAMPAIGNS

MHAS’ archived Fair Housing Tip of the Month Campaigns are available below for reference purposes only. Please note that the information provided may be outdated. For the most current and accurate fair housing information, please refer to the Tips of the Month linked above.

  • Newsletter 1: Threatened Eviction of a Family Based on a Child’s Disability-Related Behavior during Remote Learning (March 2021)

    English | Spanish

    Newsletter 2: Fair Housing, Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment during COVID-19 (May 2021)

    English | Spanish

    Newsletter 3: Competing Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for Multiple Tenants with Disabilities (September 2021)

    English | Spanish

    Disclaimer: The Fair Housing during the COVID-19 Pandemic campaign is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact MHAS or another attorney of your choice.

    The Fair Housing during the COVID-19 Pandemic campaign is based on work supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under FHIP Grant #FEO2I00205. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of HUD. 

  • Tip 1: The Interactive Process after a Tenant with a Disability Makes a Request for Reasonable Accommodation (October 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 2: Fair Housing Protections for Tenants with Limited English Proficiency (November 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 3: Reasonable Accommodation to Provide Tenants Additional Time to Address Hoarding Issues (December 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 4: Reasonable Modifications to Housing for Tenants with Mental Health Disabilities (January 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 5: Requesting a Housing Voucher Increase as a Reasonable Accommodation for Tenants with Disabilities (February 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 6: Fair Housing Protections for Tenants with Disabilities Threatened with Eviction from Transitional Housing Programs (March 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Bonus Tip: April is Fair Housing Month! Get Involved and Know Your Rights (April 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 7: Discrimination Based on Stereotypes about People with Mental Health Disabilities (April 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 8: Discrimination against Prospective Tenants with Section 8 Vouchers (May 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 9: Reasonable Accommodation to Allow an Emotional Support Animal Prescribed by a New Therapist (June 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 10: Reasonable Accommodation to Allow Rotating Live-In Aides for a Tenant with a Disability in Section 8 Housing (July 2022)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Disclaimer: The Fair Housing Tip of the Month program is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact MHAS or another attorney of your choice.

    The Fair Housing Tip of the Month campaign is based on work supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under FHIP Grant #FEOI20029. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of HUD. 

  • Tip 1: Providing Additional Maintenance Service as a Reasonable Accommodation for a Tenant with a Disability (October 2020)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 2: Housing Discrimination against Veterans Based on Perceived Disability (November 2020)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 3: My Emotional Support Animal is a Pit Bull (December 2020)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 4: Protections for Housing Applicants with Past Eviction History (January 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 5: Master Tenants Must Provide Reasonable Accommodations and Reasonable Modifications to Subtenants with Disabilities (February 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 6: How Should Housing Providers Handle Competing Requests for Reasonable Accommodations? (March 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 7: My Emotional Support Animal is a Pit Bull, Part 2: Insurance (April 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 8: Requesting Repair of Apartment Habitability Problems as a Reasonable Accommodation for a Tenant with a Disability (May 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 9: Reasonable Accommodation for a Prospective Tenant with Disability-Related Credit Problems (June 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 10: Fair Housing Protections for Transgender Individuals in Homeless Shelters (July 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 11: Denial of Housing Applications Based on Past Criminal Record Due to Disability (August 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 12: Common Unlawful Denials of Reasonable Accommodation Requests (September 2021)

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Disclaimer: The Fair Housing Tip of the Month program is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact MHAS or another attorney of your choice.

    The Fair Housing Tip of the Month campaign is based on work supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under FHIP Grant #FEOI1900435. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of HUD. 

  • Tip 1: Multiple Reasonable Accommodation Requests

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 2: Emotional Support Animals in Common Areas of a No-Pets Building

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 3: Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation to Add a Roommate to Help Pay Rent

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 4: Reasonable Accommodation and Landlord Demand for Waiver of Other Rights

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 5: Economic Accommodation for a Tenant with Mental Health Disabilities

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 6: Psychiatric Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal?

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 7: Reasonable Accommodations for People with Disabilities in Homeless Shelters

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 8: Reasonable Modifications for Tenants with Mental Health Disabilities

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 9: Requesting Reasonable Accommodation to Have an Emotional Support Animal in a Rented Room in a Private Home

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 10: Housing Discrimination Based on Source of Income

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 11: Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation to Reduce Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 12: Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation to Reduce Risk of COVID-19 Exposure

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Disclaimer: The Fair Housing Tip of the Month program is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact MHAS or another attorney of your choice.

    The Fair Housing Tip of the Month campaign is based on work supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under FHIP Grant #FEOI19008.

  • Tip 1: Reasonable Accommodation - How Do I Ask for One?

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 2: Landlord Request for Verification of Disability

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 3: Emotional Support Animals and Requests for “Pet Deposits”

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 4: Medical Marijuana

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 5: Reasonable Accommodation for an Applicant with a Criminal History

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 6: Actions Based on Stereotypes are Discriminatory

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 7: Retaliation is Discrimination

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 8: Request for Reasonable Modification

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 9: Drug Addiction is a Disability if Not Related to Current Illegal Drug Use

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 10: Reasonable Accommodation, Section 8, and Threatened Eviction

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 11: Reasonable Accommodations Require an Interactive Process - Nonemergency Repairs and Notice

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 12: Reasonable Accommodation for More Time Before Lockout

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Disclaimer: The Fair Housing Tip of the Month program is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact MHAS or another attorney of your choice. 

    Funded by a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development Fair Housing Initiatives Program (Grant #FEOI180041-01-00).

  • Tip 1: Reasonable Accommodation if You Receive a Three-Day Notice to Cure or Quit

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 2: Reasonable Modifications

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 3: Reasonable Accommodation and the Interactive Process, Example: Negative Tenant History

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 4: Supportive Services

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 5: Reasonable Accommodation and Emotional Support Animals

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 6: Hostile Environment and the Landlord's Duty

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 7: Third-Party Rent Payments

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 8: Reasonable Accommodation and Threatened Eviction

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 9: Use of Medical Marijuana in your Housing Unit

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 10: Reasonable Accommodation and Early Termination of a Lease

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 11: Hoarding

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Tip 12: Smoking as a Reasonable Accommodation

    English | Spanish | Korean

    Funded by a grant from the U. S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development Fair housing Initiatives Program (Grant #FEOI160050-01-01).