Landlord charged for rental refusal due to assistance animal

HUD has announced that it is charging an owner of an apartment complex in Florence, Alabama, with violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent a unit to a prospective tenant with disabilities who uses an assistance animal. According to the HUD charge, a woman who uses an assistance animal filed a complaint with HUD after she was denied the opportunity to rent an apartment she saw online because of the owner’s “no-pets” policy. When the woman called to inquire about the unit, the owner allegedly asked if she had a pet, and when the woman stated she had an assistance animal, the owner told her that she did not allow pets or animals and terminated the call.