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Federal officials: Landlord will pay family denied rental

Posted at 1:24 PM, Sep 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-12 15:24:01-04

NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says a Nampa homeowner has agreed to pay $15,000 to a family of nine to resolve allegations that the homeowner violated the Fair Housing Act.

HUD officials said in a prepared statement released Wednesday that the family wanted to rent a large four-bedroom home, but the rental owner refused because the family included seven kids under the age of 18. HUD says the lease agreement limited the home to renters with no more than four children.

The homeowners did not admit fault and denied the allegations in the legal agreement, called a consent order. They did agree to hire a property management company, according to HUD, and they underwent fair housing training.

Federal fair housing rules make it illegal to deny or limit housing because a family has children, to make statements discriminating against families with kids, or to impose different rules or policies on families.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development filed the complaint on behalf of the family in May.