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SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Tuesday that it is charging the owner and manager of a Salt Lake City apartment complex with housing discrimination for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act.
The case began April 4, 2015, when a woman attempted to secure housing for herself and her husband at the Pine Cove Apartments at 1243 E. Alameda Ave., according to HUD court documents. The woman contacted the apartment manager and informed them she had an assistance animal and wanted to request a reasonable accommodation to the no-pet policy at the complex.
“During this call, (she was) informed that animals are never accepted at the subject property because some tenants are allergic to dogs and other longtime residents simply do not want animals at the property,” the court documents said.
The woman said she has paperwork from her doctor prescribing the dog as an emotional support animal, and that it is a small, 10-pound dog. However, the apartment complex manager still denied the reasonable accommodation request and referred the woman to a different housing complex.
The woman then brought the case to the Disability Law Center, which filed a fair housing complaint with HUD against the owner, BJJ Enterprises, and the manager of the Pine Cove Apartments.
“The Disability Law Center conducted fair housing tests, which revealed evidence that Pine Cove managers discriminated against people with disabilities,” according to a HUD news release. “According to HUD’s Charge, Pine Cove strictly adheres to its no-pets policy, even when medical documentation attesting to the need for a reasonable accommodation is presented.”
HUD reported that disability is the most common basis of complaint filed with them and its partner agencies. In 2015, HUD and its partners considered more than 4,500 disability-related complaints, nearly 55 percent of all fair housing complaints.
“For nearly three decades, people with disabilities have had a right to request the reasonable accommodations they need to fully enjoy their homes, but that right is still being denied,” HUD’s Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Assistant Secretary Gustavo Velasquez said in the news release. “HUD will continue to take actions that ensure that property owners and managers understand their rights and responsibilities under the law and take steps to comply with those obligations.”
The case will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge, but the court date has not yet been announced.
