A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
Making accommodations for people with disabilities
The American’s
with Disabilities Act (ADA) has certain requirements that Landlords and Tenants
must follow when dealing with a disabled person. The first is the most obvious;
you can’t use someone’s disability against them when it comes to renting out
your property. There are a few other requirements that are the most common that may
pop up when you rent to someone with a disability.
In my business of Property
Management in Orange County Ca. I am very accommodating to disabled people and
always want them to feel welcome in any property that I manage.
The first
requirement that I would like to talk about is:
Personal Care Attendants
A tenant with a disability may
require the services of a live in personal care attendant to assist with day to
day activities. Although the attendant lives on the property, he or she is an
employee of the tenant with the disability and does not have a landlord tenant
relationship with the housing provider. In considering a tenant’s request to have
a live in personal care attendant, the housing provider should not require that
the attendant complete the application process or be named as a party to the
rental agreement prior to granting the request. A tenant with a disability
cannot be charged more rent or additional security deposit for the care
attendant. However, the housing provider may hold the tenant responsible for
the conduct of his or her attendant just as they would hold a tenant
Responsible for the conduct of his
or her guest.
The next
requirement that a Landlord may have to deal with is:
Ramps, Grab Bars, and Doorways
A tenant’s disability may require
structural modifications to the unit in order to allow the tenant to fully use
and enjoy their housing. A tenant who uses a wheelchair may need to install a
ramp to the unit or widen doorways in
Order to gain entrance. A tenant
whose disability limits their ability to stand independently or to maintain
balance may need to install grab bars in the bath tub or shower stall. These
are common modification requests that tenants with disabilities should be
allowed to make at their own expense. In certain circumstances, where the property
receives federal funds, the housing provider may be required to pay for the modifications.
Regardless of who is paying for the
modifications, the housing provider cannot charge the tenant an additional deposit.
Where the tenant has made the modifications, the housing provider may, however,
require that the
Tenant return the unit to its
original condition when the tenant moves out if doing so would be reasonable.
For example, it would not be reasonable to expect a tenant who has widened a
doorway to return it to its original width. However, it is probably reasonable
to request the removal of grab bars installed by the tenant.
Another common requirement is:
Service and Companion Animals
Fair housing laws require housing
providers to allow a person with a disability to keep assistance animal, also known
as a service animal or companion animal, as a reasonable accommodation. An assistance
animal is not a pet.
They are animals that work, provide
assistance, or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or
animals that provide emotional
Support that alleviates one or more
identified symptoms or effects of a person’s
Disability. Because an assistance
animal is not a pet, “no pet” policies and limitations on size, weight and type
of pet do not apply. Assistance animals perform many disability related
functions, including but not
Limited to the following:
·
Guiding individuals who are blind or
have low vision.
·
Alerting individuals who are deaf or
hearing impaired.
·
Providing minimal protection or
rescue assistance.
·
Pulling a wheelchair.
·
Fetching items.
·
Alerting persons to impending
seizures.
·
Providing emotional support to
persons with disabilities who have a disability
Related need for such support.
Property Management in Anaheim Ca.
These are three common
requirements that may come up when renting a property to someone
who has a disability. In my business of Property Management in Anaheim Ca. The
most common situation that comes up is allowing the Tenant who needs to make accommodations
such as Grab bars and ramps, to do so and as a Landlord or Property Manager, be
understanding when these situations come up.
A.D. Cantelmo Property Management Specializes in Property
Management in Orange County Ca.