HUD targets landlords over renter harassment

compliance regulations compliant regulateThe Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed new rules Wednesday to protect renters from being harassed by their landlords.

Rooting out sexual harassment of low-income women is the agency’s primary concern.

“A home should be a refuge where every woman and man deserves to live without the threat of violence or harassment,” HUD Secretary Julián Castro said in a statement. “The rule HUD is proposing is designed to better protect victims of harassment by offering greater clarity for how to handle a claim against an abuser.”

The proposed rules define harassment in the context of public assistance and private housing.

The harassment standards would formally protect renters from being harassed based on their race, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or a disability, according to HUD.

The public has 60 days to comment.

Source: thehill.com