cially sexual harassment. “Gender” is one of the
protected classes under the Fair Housing Act as
well as state laws, and this includes sexual harassment. Well-trained Maintenance staff know they
should never enter the apartment of a Resident
who is not properly clothed. Nor should they enter
an apartment where unattended minors are inside,
unless it is an emergency.
may not want others to know he or she suffers
from a disability. If another Resident asks why a
certain Resident is allowed to have a 120 pound
Rottweiler or has a special assigned parking space,
best practices of the Front office staff might be to
say: “I assure you, we are in compliance with all
applicable Federal, State and local laws.” If the
Resident pushes the leasing agent, a proper response would be “I am sorry, but I cannot comment
further. We must respect the privacy of our
Residents, just as we respect your privacy rights.”
A maintenance staff member may have a shorter
response such as: “Please direct questions to the
front office. I am happy to walk you over to get
you to the right person.”
If a Resident has previously exhibited inappropriate behavior or made false accusations, it is
important to take a witness with you when entering to do a repair. It is also legal to tape record
your interaction with the Resident, if circumstances call for this. If a maintenance staff member
witnesses sexual harassment of any kind, whether
it is comes fr