A Fair Housing Defense blog reader sent me a question about live-in aides which I thought I would answer with some general guidance in a post.

First, in order to have a live-in aide, a resident would need to meet the definition of “disabled” (or handicapped) in the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Unless the need for the aide is obvious, management may obtain a medical verification confirming the need for the aide. The live in aide is considered a reasonable accommodation under the FHA.

A live in aide qualifies for residency for as long as the disabled resident requires the services of the aide and remains a resident.   In other words, if the resident leaves the community, the live in aide does not automatically convert to a resident with rights to the apartment home. I typically recommend that a lease addendum be used to confirm that the aide acknowledges he or she has no rights to the unit without the resident he or she is assisting. The addendum should also give management the right to evict the live in aide if he or she violates any house rule (as is the case with every resident).

Next, I always recommend that a live in aide be required to meet your property’s screening criteria – other than credit (as the aide is not responsible for rent).  In my view, the aide should be screened based on the same criminal screening procedures that management has for reviewing applicants. Also, while a live in aide is counted for the purpose of determining the appropriate unit size (such that the aide can be entitled to their own bedroom), if a unit with a separate bedroom for the aide is not available, as a general rule, the resident should not be denied his or her aide, even in a smaller apartment. If a larger unit becomes available and the resident requests a transfer to the larger apartment, management should consider such a request as a reasonable accommodation. As a part of evaluating the request, however, management is entitled to charge what is likely to be higher rent for a bigger apartment home.

Hope that helps.

Just A Thought.

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