Washington State Poised to Take Action Against Veteran Housing Discrimination; TenantScreeningUSA.com Comments.

WALTHAM, Mass., March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The attorney general in the State of Washington is poised to take action against any landlord discriminating against veterans that use housing vouchers. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com opines; "As a leader in Housing legislation, Washington state is looking at potential discrimination and this type of focus should immediately warn all landlords and property managers to review their policies in order to stay in compliance with existing and potential law."

Homelessness amongst veterans is a challenge in most states across the country. Housing is increasingly expensive, especially in major cities.

From a recent interview on NPR.org (Mar 05, 18):

Homelessness among veterans rose slightly last year despite a nationwide effort to get them off the streets. One reason the problem is so hard to solve is the lack of affordable housing in many big cities. There was anecdotal evidence that landlords in tight markets were turning veterans away. Now there's solid proof of that... (1)

In the State of Washington investigators from the attorneys general office conducted a sting of sorts to test what properties would or would not entertain the prospect of a veteran wishing to rent with the aid of a housing voucher.

From the Seattle Times web-page: (Feb 28, 18):

Posing as veterans, they sent emails to landlords. They said they were interested in renting, and they had federal housing vouchers for veterans with disabilities.

But they weren't veterans ? they were investigators from the Washington state attorney general's civil-rights unit.

Responses from landlords varied, but 10 companies said they could not accept Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, or that they don't take vouchers of that kind. Attorney General Bob Ferguson contends that practice violates Washington's anti-discrimination law, which protects veterans and people with disabilities. (2)

Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com opines: "Whenever there is a challenge for landlords and/or property managers even with the potential of action, such as is the case in Washington, they should immediately engage with a well-qualified third-party tenant screening agency to ensure compliance with existing and potential law."

A best practice for conducting tenant background checks for landlords and/or property managers is to work with a third-party tenant screening agency.

Almeida concludes: "It behooves a landlord to ensure compliance with law, especially in light of recent actions by the State of Washington, and a best practice remains to work with a third-party tenant screening agency."

TenantScreeningUSA.com provides full service tenant screening for landlords and property managers of any size and can greatly assist in remaining fully compliant with all existing law governing tenant screening. With a highly trained and experienced staff, TenantScreeningUSA.com can provide help to landlords and property managers with all tenant screening needs.

Notes:
(1)    npr.org/2018/03/05/590974647/washington-state-attorney-general-housing-discrimination-against-veterans-is-evi
(2)    seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/washington-signals-to-landlords-denying-homeless-veterans-housing-is-illegal/

SOURCE TenantScreeningUSA.com