HUD is going to update disabled access regulations but is asking for public input first

There were 31,216 fair-housing complaints in 2021, a 9% year-to-year increase. Most complaints cited disabled access, with race discrimination coming in at No.2 (Lenihan, 2023).

And there were probably more complaints in 2022. Unfortunately, publication of statistics will often lag a year or more.

However, on APRIL 26, 2023, in the article titled HUD to Update Disabled Access Regulations published on the Florida Realtors website, Kerry Smith states that “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says federal fair-housing regulations about access for those with disabilities should be updated – but it’s not doing so until the public weighs in.”

Comments from the public can be sent (and viewed) electronically through the www.regulations.gov website. However, it might be easier for some who are not really tech savvy to submit comments by mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410–0500.

If you are interested in learning more about the HUD regulations, the references below are good resources for you to read and explore. The first article I recommend that you read is Kerry Smith’s article HUD to Update Disabled Access Regulations in which all the other sources below are mentioned.

References:

• THE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL. (2023, January). The White House Blueprint for a renters Bill of Rights. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/White-House-Blueprint-for-a-Renters-Bill-of-Rights.pdf
  
• Lenihan, R. (2023, April 28). Study finds increase in fair housing complaints. Florida Realtors. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/news-articles/2023/04/study-finds-increase-fair-housing-complaints
  
• Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability: Updates to HUD’s Section 504 Regulations. Federal Register: Housing and Urban Development Dept. (2023). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/housing-and-urban-development-department
  (Quotes from website: SUMMARY: This advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeks the public’s input on changes that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD or the Department) is considering to its implementing regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) for federally assisted and HUD conducted programs and activities. Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance and in programs and activities conducted by executive agencies. After this ANPRM is published, the Department intends to draft a Notice of a Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would propose the adoption of an updated Federal accessibility standard for purposes of compliance with HUD’s Section 504 regulations. In addition, the Department intends for this NPRM to propose revisions to HUD’s Section 504 regulations to clarify recipients’ obligations, including how to account for advances in accessible design, information and communication technology, and assistive technologies that have become available since HUD’s Section 504 regulations were originally published in 1988. DATES: Comment Due Date: July 24, 2023. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410–0500.)
  
• Smith, K. (2023, April 26). HUD TO UPDATE disabled access regulations. Florida Realtors. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/news-articles/2023/04/hud-update-disabled-access-regulations