Kinda long, but I find this outrageous: Current fair housing laws do NOT protect CURRENT military families from discrimination in home rentals and purchases.
The Fair Housing Act creates protected classes that cannot be discriminated against when renting or purchasing a home. These groups include what you'd expect--race, color, religion, nationality, disability, familial status, gender, age, vet status. States can add protected classes if they wish. For example, sexual orientation is one that's often debated.
I'm shocked to discover that the FHA does NOT cover CURRENT military status. I'm even MORE shocked to learn that here in Florida of ALL places, with all our bases, has NOT added any such protection.
Why? Because a military family might have to break a lease when it receives out of the blue a Permanent Change of Station order (PCS). Oh, poor landlords. How about the family that has to pick up on very short notice, find a NEW shelter, school, friends, another job for the spouse, all while the service member him or herself is being deployed for months overseas?!?
Plus, unlike with most renters who skip, the landlord in this case (a) can track down the military family, and (b) secure any remedy provided under the lease since a military family has a steady income (no matter how meager). (The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) may provide some protection regarding repayment terms; but no protection from the underlying obligation itself.)
In sum, a big F*K YOU to politicians who sing Support Our Troops at every available opportunity, but then who cave to the real estate industry whenever push comes to shove.
The Fair Housing Act creates protected classes that cannot be discriminated against when renting or purchasing a home. These groups include what you'd expect--race, color, religion, nationality, disability, familial status, gender, age, vet status. States can add protected classes if they wish. For example, sexual orientation is one that's often debated.
I'm shocked to discover that the FHA does NOT cover CURRENT military status. I'm even MORE shocked to learn that here in Florida of ALL places, with all our bases, has NOT added any such protection.
Why? Because a military family might have to break a lease when it receives out of the blue a Permanent Change of Station order (PCS). Oh, poor landlords. How about the family that has to pick up on very short notice, find a NEW shelter, school, friends, another job for the spouse, all while the service member him or herself is being deployed for months overseas?!?
Plus, unlike with most renters who skip, the landlord in this case (a) can track down the military family, and (b) secure any remedy provided under the lease since a military family has a steady income (no matter how meager). (The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) may provide some protection regarding repayment terms; but no protection from the underlying obligation itself.)
In sum, a big F*K YOU to politicians who sing Support Our Troops at every available opportunity, but then who cave to the real estate industry whenever push comes to shove.
