California Real Estate SalespersonPractice of Real Estate and DisclosuresMedium
A tenant with a physical disability requests permission to install a wheelchair ramp at her own expense at the entrance to her rental unit. Under the Fair Housing Act, this request is best classified as a:
- AReasonable accommodation, which the landlord must fund
- BDiscriminatory request that the landlord may deny outright
- CRequest requiring approval from the local housing authority only
- DReasonable modification, which the tenant may be required to fund
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Reasonable modification, which the tenant may be required to fund
A physical alteration to the premises, such as installing a ramp, is a reasonable modification, not an accommodation. Under federal Fair Housing law, landlords must permit reasonable modifications, but the tenant is generally responsible for the cost in private housing (unless federally funded), unlike accommodations which are policy/rule changes typically funded by the landlord.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This describes accommodation, which involves rule changes, not physical modifications.
- B. Denying a reasonable modification request outright would violate fair housing law.
- C. Local housing authority approval is not a fair housing requirement for private landlord modifications.
Reasonable Modification vs. Accommodation
A reasonable modification is a physical change to the property (tenant-funded), while a reasonable accommodation is a change in rules/policies (landlord-funded), both required for tenants with disabilities.
- Modification = physical change, tenant pays
- Accommodation = policy change, landlord pays
- Landlord cannot unreasonably deny either request
Memory trick: 'Modify the building, Accommodate the rule.'