Texas Real Estate Sales Agent ExamReal Estate PracticeMedium
A real estate agent is working with a buyer who uses a wheelchair. The buyer is interested in a single-family home that was built in 1995. The buyer requests that the seller install a ramp to the front door and widen interior doorways to accommodate the wheelchair. Who is generally responsible for the cost of these modifications under the Fair Housing Act?
- AThe real estate agent is responsible for negotiating who pays for the modifications.
- BThe seller, as the property owner, must bear the cost to make the home accessible.
- CThe buyer must bear the cost of making reasonable modifications.
- DThe cost must be shared equally between the buyer and the seller.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The buyer must bear the cost of making reasonable modifications.
Under the Fair Housing Act, a landlord or seller must allow a person with a disability to make reasonable modifications to a dwelling at their own expense. The seller is not generally required to pay for these modifications.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. While negotiation can occur, the legal responsibility for cost under FHA falls to the person requesting modification.
- B. This is incorrect. The FHA requires allowing modifications, not paying for them, for existing private housing.
- D. This is not a general requirement under the FHA for existing private housing.
FHA - Reasonable Modifications
The Fair Housing Act requires property owners to permit reasonable physical modifications to a dwelling at the expense of the person with a disability, if necessary for them to use and enjoy the premises.
- Applies to existing private housing (single-family and multi-family).
- Modifications must be 'reasonable' and 'necessary'.
- The person with the disability typically pays for the modifications.
Memory trick: Ramps are allowed, but your dime, not mine.