February 17th, 11:30am-2pm 

"More Efficiency with Less   

  People" by Glenn Dorsey

  Sponsored by A/C Systems
 

  of Jacksonville, Inc.  

Click here to RSVP via Facebook

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March 17th, 11:30am-1:30pm
 Disaster Prep & Recovery Part II:  

Scott McCurdy,Co-Owner of Coastal Reconstruction

Note: This event is at (and sponsored by) Coastal Reconstruction: 

5570 Florida Mining Blvd. S.
 

Suite 304

Jacksonville, FL 32257

Click here to RSVP via Facebook
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April 13th, 8am-4pm

Landlord-Tenant Law by Harry Heist, Attorney

(CE credit!)  

Sponsored by: PuroClean Emergency Services, Business Driver LLC and A/C Systems of Jacksonville

*Full-day event; cost for guests TBA soon!*

EVENTS ABOVE  

(EXCEPT DISASTER PREP)  

ARE AT:
 

Holiday Inn

Events are FREE for NEFARPM members! $25 for guests at the door; except Tenant-Landlord law which is a different price TBA very soon. Cash only please. RSVP is required for all attendees by either using the Facebook event pages linked above or emailing: 

Membership yields many educational benefits for property management professionals.
Email Membership Chair Debbie Boozer for more information.  

If you are in a business that can provide useful services to property management companies, please consider joining as an Affiliate Member.
For more information about the membership packages email Affiliate Chair Leigh Gardner or click here. 
 

It is the mission of FHC to ensure equal housing opportunity and eliminate discrimination in Florida.

60 NEFARPM members and guests attended the Fair Housing Seminar last Thursday. As a follow-up to our email recap earlier this week, please see the information below these photos of the presentation. 
 

Helpful tips about Fair Housing Issues

• FHC receives about 30 complaints a year; some take 3-5 years to resolve!

• Always provide written documents & procedures to each tenant that details your renting criteria and processes. 

• Signs around pools that state an age re: unsupervised swimmers could be considered discriminatory if the age is arbitrary and not obtained from insurance policy requirements. (For example: if a community association posts a sign that states only minors 16 & older can swim unsupervised or during certain hours, it could be a red flag and may not hold up.)

• FHC can be hired to "test" your renting process to ensure there are no potential discriminatory practices. Any issues found would be your data to guide revisions of your process and would not be reported.  

• Under federal law, the 7 protected categories are: race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability and familial status. States, counties and cities may have additional protected categories such as: marital status, sexual orientation, source of income, age, military, occupation and 5 others. Stay current on local laws, especially if you move your business or manage properties in multiple areas.

• Objectively review all print or internet materials (including ads & listings) for possible implied preference, limitation or discrimination toward any of the 7 protected categories. 

• Disability and accessibility issues may require changes to your building and/or parking lot. A commonly used entrance must be accessible with a wheelchair. This includes width of the entryway and the type of threshold. The bathrooms and offices must also be accessible to all. 

• Research changes needed to accommodate tenants or potential tenants with disabilities so that you are familiar with the time-frame and possible needs. For example, it would be good to know where you could get your information translated into braille if a potential tenant requests it. (You don't need to have it on hand readily, but you must be able to acquire it within a reasonable amount of time).
   

• If you use a vehicle with a business sign on it, eliminate other potentially discriminatory stickers/messages on your vehicle. Same goes for your business card and print collateral. Keep it free from your personal beliefs. 

• Good rule of thumb to follow: simply treat each potential tenant as a tester!
               

Resources:

Fair Housing Continuum

1-888-264-5619

fairhousing32922@bellsouth.net

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
 

 Serves multiple counties in Northeast Florida and has a Fair Housing Advocacy Unit.

Click here for AUDIO PRESENTATIONS on a variety of Fair Housing topics
 

If you have content suggestions
 for the newsletter, please contact:  

Suzanne@KingsleyCommunications.com
 (904) 328-9691   

We would like the newsletter
to be informative and interesting.
Consider announcements such as: transitions within your company, tips from your trade, special promotions or offers, new services, awards/distinctions, etc.  

LINKS

NEFARPM

NARPM