The mail arrives. It includes a letter from the local fair housing council
stating that your recently completed Springfield complex does not comply with
the Fair Housing Act design requirements. The council wants to meet with you
before filing a lawsuit. Also, they want to talk with you about your Maplewood
property that was completed in 1993. You call your architect. He has never heard
of Fair Housing Act accessibility design; he says he built your properties in
compliance with the "local code."
This scenario is being reported weekly across the country. Sometimes,
however, the letter comes from the Department of Justice or the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). What's going on?
