Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (“HECP”) has entered into a conciliation agreement resolving a federal housing discrimination complaint against Marks and Company (“Marks”) and four apartment complexes in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties for violating the disability portion of the federal Fair Housing Act.   From September to December of 2021, HECP investigated four apartment complexes managed by Marks and found that the management company had a policy of denying reserved parking spaces to prospective renters with disabilities who requested an assigned space due to either mobility or cardiovascular conditions. In response, HECP filed a complaint with the Department

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The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (“HECP”) has entered into a conciliation agreement resolving a federal housing discrimination complaint against Westminster Arch Apartments (“Westminster”) for violating the disability portion of the federal Fair Housing Act.   In October of 2021, HECP received an anonymous email stating that Westminster did not permit reasonable accommodations for assistance animals and requesting that HECP investigate the property for discrimination. In response, HECP conducted fair housing testing which confirmed the allegations reported by the anonymous complainant. Callers to the complex were told repeatedly that the building was pet free and that assistance animals would not

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The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (“HECP”) has entered into a conciliation agreement resolving a federal housing discrimination complaint against Danella Realty and Management Company (“Danella”) and two condominium complexes for violating the disability portion of the federal Fair Housing Act.   Between January and April of 2021, HECP received complaints from two individuals who lived at Gypsy Lane Condominiums in Philadelphia. Both residents had disabilities which impaired their abilities to walk long distances and necessitated that they be permitted reserved parking spaces near their units. While Danella agreed to grant their requests, the management company informed the residents that

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The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (HECP) and a Bucks County couple have entered into an agreement resolving allegations that CM Bucks Landing 120, LLC, Residential Management (NY), Inc., and Aspen Grove Apartment Homes violated the Fair Housing Act by adopting and applying policies that discriminated against potential applicants based on national origin, race, and familial status. In May of 2019, HECP was contacted when a family had their application for tenancy rejected by Aspen Grove Apartment Homes due to the complex’s policy of requiring that all adults have a social security number. The husband had a social security number,

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“Trident’s unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth, and devalued properties in their neighborhoods” -Attorney General Kristen Clarke Established by the Federal Housing Administration and the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation in the 1930s, the discriminatory practice of redlining labeled communities of color as too risky to invest in through federal loan programs. It was nearly impossible for individuals living in neighborhoods that were not homogenously White to receive federally insured loans. Redlining kept Black residents from accessing the capital to make necessary changes to their homes and encouraged

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UPDATE: The Center for Disease Control has issued a new order temporarily halting evictions in counties with heightened levels of community transmission in order to respond to recent developments in the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new moratorium is in effect through October 3, 2021 and covers counties experiencing substantial or high transmission rates, as shown on the CDC map. In order to qualify for protection from eviction under this order, the tenant will need to sign a declaration form as under the previous moratorium. UPDATE: The Center for Disease Control has issued a federal eviction moratorium that has

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The Emergency Rental Assistance Program or ERAP was created to help renters dealing with financial challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For eligible households, the program offers rental and utility assistance to help Pennsylvanians avoid eviction or loss of utility service. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 included funding for states to establish emergency rental assistance programs. Pennsylvania received approximately $569 million to administer assistance to renters, landlords, and utility providers who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic insecurity. Apply for CARES ACT Emergency Rental Assistance Bucks County: Online application available at www.buckscounty.org/renthelp or call 1-888-50-BUCKS for assistance applying. Chester

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The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (HECP) and a Delaware County resident have entered into an agreement resolving allegations that Presby’s Inspired Life, Alician Senior Housing, and sixteen other apartment complexes in Bucks, Delaware, and Philadelphia Counties violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against residents with disabilities. In December 2018, HECP was contacted when a man residing at Alician Senior Housing in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, received a letter stating that his tenancy was being terminated due to minor lease violations that were a direct result of his disability-related symptoms. HECP submitted a reasonable accommodation request on his behalf, asking

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The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on February 11, 2021 that it will use the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Effective immediately, HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity will accept for filing and investigate all complaints of sex discrimination, including discrimination because of gender identity or sexual orientation, that meet other jurisdictional requirements. Under the new policy, FHEO will investigate and enforce potential fair housing violations against LGBTQ individuals, which can either be settled between the parties or referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.

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The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (“HECP”), has entered into an agreement resolving a federal housing discrimination complaint against Post Presidential Property Owner, LLC and Post Commercial Real Estate, LLC, the owner and manager of Presidential City Apartments in Philadelphia, for violating the disability portion of the federal Fair Housing Act. The agreement came after a charge of discrimination issued in November by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In July of 2018, HECP received a complaint alleging that Presidential City Apartments was refusing to waive pet fees for assistance animals when requested as a reasonable accommodation by

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