Manager Is Not Required to Reveal the Owner's Name

L.A. Times Archives

July 14, 2002 12 AM PT

From Project Sentinel

Question: The resident manager at my apartment complex is very slow at scheduling repairs. I’ve asked for the name and telephone number of the property owner, but she will not give it to me. What can I do?

Answer: As long as there is a manager on the premises, there is no legal requirement for the manager to reveal the name and/or telephone number of a property owner. As long as a tenant has contact information for a manager or property supervisor, an owner has fulfilled his or her legal obligation.

Property ownership is public record and is available from your county assessor’s office. In some cases, the owner’s address on title at the county assessor’s office is the same as the property address, but you will still be able to learn the owner’s name. You have the right to contact the property owner.

Disabled Person Can Seek Change in Rent Due Date

Q: I’m permanently disabled and my rent is due on the first of each month. Because my disability check doesn’t arrive until the fifth of each month, I live in fear each month that the rent check will clear the bank before my disability funds are available.

The landlord is not willing to hold my rent check for a few days to ensure the check is good. Is there something I can do?

A: Yes. Your local fair housing agency can help you request a “reasonable accommodation” for payment of rent.

A reasonable accommodation is a protection that individuals with either a physical or mental disability have under federal and state fair housing laws. It is a request to your housing provider to make an exception to their normal policy because of your disability.

In your case, you would ask the landlord to accommodate your disability by allowing you to pay the rent on the fifth or sixth of each month because your sole source of income is your disability payment.

A reasonable accommodation cannot pose an administrative or financial hardship on housing providers. If the landlord can prove one or both of the hardships, the denial is allowed. But if there is no hardship, the landlord could face a more serious financial burden if discrimination can be proved.

Applicant in Wheelchair Didn’t Get a Fair Chance

Q: One of my tenants brought a friend to apply for a vacancy. The available unit is on the second floor, but the prospective tenant is disabled and uses a wheelchair. Because putting in an elevator would be too expensive, I did not accept the application, saying the unit had been rented. Was I wrong?

A: Yes. You are in direct violation of state and federal fair housing laws. These laws state that it is discriminatory to misrepresent the availability of a unit because of the presence, or perception, of a disability.

Just because the prospective tenant uses a wheelchair does not mean you have to install an elevator. The disabled person may not be permanently confined to the wheelchair or may use it as a support mechanism when experiencing muscle fatigue.

Whatever the situation, you should not deny disabled individuals the opportunity to obtain housing because of an assumption, without investigating the facts. A disabled tenant should be given the opportunity to consider all available units as long as he or she meets your screening criteria based on legitimate business concerns.

Individuals with disabilities have the same rights as able-bodied people seeking housing. When you discriminate, you, as well as the property owner, may be subject to a costly lawsuit or an investigation by a local, state or federal fair housing agency. To become better informed about fair housing laws, contact your local fair housing office.

This column is prepared by Project Sentinel, a rental housing mediation service in Sunnyvale, Calif. Questions may be sent to 1055 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Suite 3, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, but cannot be answered individually.

For housing discrimination questions, complaints or help, call the state Department of Fair Housing and Employment at (800) 233-3212 or the Fair Housing Council, Fair Housing Institute or Fair Housing Foundation office in your area:

Bellflower: (562) 901-0808

Carson: (888) 777-4087

El Monte: (626) 579-6868

Hawthorne: (310) 474-1667

Lancaster: (888) 777-4087

Long Beach: (562) 901-0808

Pasadena: (626) 791-0211

Redondo Beach: (888) 777-4087

San Fernando Valley: (818) 373-1185

South Central Los Angeles: (213) 295-3302

Westside Los Angeles: (310) 474-1667

Orange County: (714) 569-0828