Boss is not following Fair Housing Law?

[naseem]

I am a leasing agent with a very good and honest rental management company. My mother is a real estate agent for the same company and has been for nearly 10 years, so I am very familiar with Fair Housing Law in Virginia where we live, and a lot of the rules are the same for both sides of the field. I was recently transfered to one of my company's other apartment complexes, and the manager here is very nice. However, when people ask her "What is the neighborhood like?", etc, she tells them that it is a good neighborhood and a low crime-rate area, which is a BIG no-no in terms of following Fair Housing Law. We are supposed to tell them that we cannot comment on that and give them the number for the local sheriff's office so that they can call and get all the statistics they want. I am finding it really hard not to say anything, because I know that this is a very big deal in our profession and I know that upper management probably has no idea that she is doing this. Also, she has been an apartment manager for like 12 years and I just started in this field about 8 months ago. But like I said, I have been familiar with the laws for a long time now. What should I do? Should I say anything? Or should I not step above my station? I just don't want it to cause any legal troubles in the future.

[chay]

You can mention it to your boss and provide the number and web addresses of where they can find the information. It is rarely a good idea to turn your direct manager into their management on a first pass. You tell your manager that maybe it slipped their mind and wanted to be helpful because it could cause serious issues if one of the auditors the housing authority uses happens to be the one incognito as a potential renter.

It is after that point if it repeats that you would have a decision to make as to whether you want it formally documented that you made your manager aware of the practice, and if she attempted to give a weak appraisal or any future reprimand, you would have it on record and then can cause all kinds of issues. It reverses to become a job security and you can verify whistle-blower laws that apply before the 2nd step.

Allow me to add: The problem is that they cannot say crime is a problem or the places would not rent, and if they say crime is not a problem and there is one, LAWSUIT CITY. This is America, the most litigious country in the world. It is a no-win situation, and that would probably be helpful to point out to your manager. You can give her the proper answer to the question: We follow the laws strictly here and the Fair Housing statutes require us not to comment, but I encourage you to check... and it is proper to even hand them a printout from the source if it is favorable and do it without comment. She can also explain that any other complex doing it differently may be hiding something or is loose about following regulations and we are not that type of management. That seems legal enough.

[freedom97]

You follow the rules and let her worry about her actions. I find it hard to believe you cannot tell people what the neighborhood is like.