Fair Housing, Other Disclosures and Occupancy Standards

Question 1

What year was the first fair housing law passed?

Answer 1

1866

Question 2

Which of the following is not a protected class under the Federal Fair Housing Act?

Answer 2

Age

Question 3

An alleged violation of the Civil Rights Act must be filed within how many years of the action?

Answer 3

1 year

Question 4

What was the Tax Reform Act of 1986 designed to do?

Answer 4

To eliminate the tax loop holes and increased incentives to induce home ownership.

Question 5

Which of the following is a requirement of the Foreign Investment Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA)?

Answer 5

FIRPTA requires that any foreign investor in real estate in the United States declare that he or she is not a U.S. citizen.

Question 6

What is “Megan’s Law”?

Answer 6

Allows disclosure of information about sex offenders.

Question 7

Whose mission is to protect human health, air, water, land and the environment?

Answer 7

Environmental Protection Agency

Question 8

What was created that established the rules and regulations for the dumping of pollutants into the waters of the United States?

Answer 8

Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972

Question 9

What does the Keating Memorandum state would be reasonable under the Fair Housing Act for number of persons in a bedroom?

Answer 9

2

Question 10

In what year was the Fair Housing Act under the Civil Rights Act first revised?

Answer 10

1968

Question 11

The first Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination based on

Answer 11

Race color

Question 12

The Federal Fair Housing Act

Answer 12

was established under the Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The law also gives the right for investigation and prosecution to the Housing and Urban Development.

Question 13

Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act is also known as

Answer 13

the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).

Question 14

The Civil Right Act of 1968 prohibited the following forms of discrimination:

Answer 14

Refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of his or her race, color, religion or national origin.
Discrimination against a person in the terms, conditions or privilege of the sale or rental of a dwelling. Setting more restrictive standards, such as a higher income or having inconsistent policies used to discriminate.
Advertising the sale or rental of a dwelling indicating discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin, such as skin color
Coercing, threatening, intimidating, or interfering with a person’s enjoyment or exercise of housing rights based on discriminatory reasons or retaliating against a person or organization that aids or encourages the exercise or enjoyment of fair housing rights.
Falsely denying that a rental unit is available.
Refusing to accommodate the needs of handicapped tenants, such as not allowing a guide dog for the visually impaired.

Question 15

An amendment in 1974 included a person’s

Answer 15

sex as a protected class.

Question 16

In 1988, familial status and handicap persons were added

Answer 16

Familial status refers to the relationship of people in a family (children and parents), and handicap persons are those with physical conditions that impair them, in­cluding those with AIDS and mental disorders.

Question 17

U.S. Code, Title 42, Chapter 21, Subchapter I, (1982)

Answer 17

All citizens of the United States shall have the same right, in every State and Territory, as is enjoyed by white citizens thereof to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property.

Question 18

An alleged violation of the Civil Rights Act must be filed within one year of the action.

Answer 18

There are two years to file a federal civil court action. Civil penalties are $10,000 for the first violation and $50,000 for any subsequent violation.

Question 19

Additionally, the Texas Real Estate Commission states:

Answer 19

No real estate licensee shall inquire about, respond to or facilitate inquiries about, or make a disclosure which indicates or is intended to indicate any preference, limitation or discrimination based on the following: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, familial status, or handicap of an owner, previous or current occupant, potential purchaser, lessor, or potential lessee of real property.

Question 20

The Tax Reform Act of 1986

Answer 20

was designed to eliminate the tax loop holes and increased incentives to induce home ownership rather than rental housing by increasing the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction. The Act has changed the aspects of rent, property taxes, and mortgage interest payments to favor homeownership, while eliminating most of the investment incentives for rental housing.

Question 21

The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA)

Answer 21

requires that any foreign investor in real estate in the United States declare that he or she is not a U.S. citizen. If he or she is not a U.S. citizen the taxes owed must be taken out of closing to pay the government.

Question 22

The Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act

Answer 22

is designed to protect buyers from misrepresentations, fraud and abuse in the sale and/or lease of land.

Question 23

Megan’s Law requires that states initiate

Answer 23

sex offender registries and crimes against children registries. This is applicable in Texas via The Texas Sex Offender Registration Program which requires a sex offender to register with the local law enforcement authority of the city or county he or she resides in. The law indicates that information can be placed on the Internet and then obtained by the public.

Question 24

Licensees must also conform to national policies set out by the

Answer 24

Environmental Protection Agency, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Texas Commission on Human Rights lays out reasonable occupancy policy that does not unfairly discriminate against families with children.

Question 25

Clean Water Act

Answer 25

National awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. This law is known as the Clean Water Act. The Act established the rules and regulations for the dumping of pollutants into the waters of the United States

Question 26

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act – otherwise known as CERCLA or Superfund

Answer 26

provides a Federal “Superfund” (Superfund translates to a fund with virtually unlimited resources) to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as other accidental releases or spills of pollutants and contaminants into the environment.

Question 27

The Environmental Protection Agency in Texas

Answer 27

Enforcement activities by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency produced historic results from industry, government, and other regulated entities to protect the nation’s air, water, and land. The record $10.6 billion in pollution controls and environmental projects to achieve compliance with federal environmental laws exceeds the previous record of $10.2 billion.

Question 28

EPA main purpose

Answer 28

Enforcement activities by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency produced historic results from industry, government, and other regulated entities to protect the nation’s air, water, and land. The record $10.6 billion in pollution controls and environmental projects to achieve compliance with federal environmental laws exceeds the previous record of $10.2 billion.

Question 29

The texas sex offender registration form requires the following information:

Answer 29

(1) The offender’s:
(a) Full name and any aliases used;
(b) Date of birth;
(c) Gender;
(d) Race;
(e) Height and weight;
(f) Hair and eye color;
(g) Social-security number;
(h) Driver’s license number;
(i) Shoe size;
(j) Home address;
(k) Photograph;
(l) A complete set of fingerprints;
(2) The type of offense for which the offender was convicted;
(3) The age of the victim;
(4) The date of conviction and punishment received;
(5) An indication as to whether the offender is discharged, paroled, or released on juvenile probation, community supervision, or mandatory supervision; and
(6) Any other information required by the Department of Public Safety. (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code Ann. § 62.02(b))
A sex offender who fails to comply with any registration requirement may be subject to felony prosecution. (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code Ann. § 62.02(a))

Question 30

Texas Real Estate Commission

Discriminatory Practices

Answer 30

No real estate licensee shall inquire about, respond to or facilitate inquiries about, or make a disclosure which indicates or is intended to indicate any preference, limitation or discrimination based on the following: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, familial status, or handicap of an owner, previous or current occupant, potential purchaser, lessor, or potential lessee of real property For the purpose of this section, handicap includes a person who had, may have had, has, or may have AIDS, HIV-related illnesses, or HIV infection as defined by the Centers for Disease Control of the United States Public Health Service.