The Fair Housing Act : Getting it Right!

Course Description

The Fair Housing Act: Getting It Right is an introductory continuing education course that provides architects, designers, and builders with essential knowledge for designing compliant multifamily housing under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The course clarifies when the FHA applies to projects, explores the relationship between FHA, ADA, and ANSI A117.1 standards, and examines the serious legal and financial consequences of non-compliance through real-world case studies and discrimination lawsuits.

Participants will learn the seven core FHA design requirements covering accessible routes, entrances, doors, public spaces, environmental controls, grab bar reinforcement, and usable kitchens and bathrooms, while understanding common violations and best practices to avoid compliance gaps. The course emphasizes that accessibility should be integral to the design process from initial planning rather than a secondary consideration, and provides practical guidance on professional liability, quality assurance strategies, and coordination with consultants and contractors to ensure successful FHA compliance throughout the design and construction process.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand scoping and applicability of the Fair Housing Act

2. Understand how allegations of housing discrimination are brought to court and what entities determine culpability

3. Understand legal repercussions of housing discrimination through non-compliant design, per evolving interpretations of liability

4. Identify the seven categories into which the technical requirements of the Fair Housing Act are divided

5. Identify common oversights and violations with respect to each of the seven categories of the Fair Housing Act’s technical requirements

6. Evaluate practical strategies and best practices for architects to ensure design compliance with the Fair Housing Act’s technical requirements