The Vermont Human Rights Commission (VHRC) investigates allegations of housing discrimination in the state. It also investigates allegations of housing discrimination that come from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Condominiums, their Associations and Boards are subject to many of the state and federal fair housing laws.

This past year the VHRC has seen many more complaints coming from people who own or rent condominiums. Most of the complaints result from the board’s members and other residents not knowing fair housing law – – of course, lack of knowledge of a law is never a defense. One association ended up with a $15,000 attorney bill to settle a rather simple fair housing issue. Some boards do not use attorneys to settle complaints.

VHRC has provided fair housing training to a number of Condominium Associations as part of settlement agreements. VHRC would like to help condo boards avoid problems. VHRC offers fair housing training to condo boards and the residents prior to a complaint being filed. The training are interactive and usually take one to two hours depending on the number of questions and issues. It is very user friendly!

If you are interested in scheduling training or have questions, please call Ellen at 802-828-2494. VHRC cannot provide legal advice. You can also check out our web site at hrc.vermont.gov