Bill, apparently they want us to contact the HUD Toll-free number with specific instances and questions, rather than having a spokesperson try to quote a "one size fits all" answer for questions.

The most significant thing I found from his comments during the interview was the statement that "HUD is actively watching the Web".  That has importance for Active Rain members as well as the general public.

Rick & Ines, I agree that the interviewer seemed to be more interested in answering general questions.  This "interview" was an experiment for me and I learned something about attempting to get specific information and answers from a government agency spokesperson.

It was not my intention to be "politically correct".  I'm merely reporting what was said by a HUD spokesperson.  The statements and opinions in this post are not mine.

The HUD spokesperson did say that they have noticed that Fair Housing Laws are often misquoted or mistakenly attributed to HUD.  He said the HUD toll-free number was part of their effort to see that the public gets accurate answers to individual questions, from staffers (presumably attorneys) who are qualified to respond.

Charles -- Thanks for the comment!  When I asked the HUD spokesperson about whether they monitor Internet sites, he implied that the Enforcement division is monitoring many sites.  He was aware of the existence of Active Rain and I can only assume that this site is among those being watched.

You'll recall there was a guy that commented on your post last month who boasted that he had induced an agent to violate the law and that he didn't have to concern himself with Fair Housing laws.  Apparently he was incorrect about that!

Diane -- Thank you!  I wish I could have obtained more specific information from the HUD spokesperson.  I imagine they probably don't want to comment about an anecdotal incident unless they're sure they have all the facts.  He mentioned that every reported incident is different and HUD takes a close look at complaints before coming to any conclusion.

Paul, I appreciate your comments and insight.  I'll be sure to read your post.

Rob, you might want to reconsider the opinion that it is not an agent's "job" to report a Fair Housing violation by another party.  HUD considers it an obligation, not merely on the part of agents but an obligation of the public as well to report violations.  That obligation becomes more serious when you obtain a real estate license.  I have had several HUD staff members, as well as more than one prominent real estate attorney, inform me that failure to report a violation (if discovered) is considered complicity and the agent who does not "blow the whistle" can be charged with a violation for failure to report.  The penalties are severe.

Shantae Goodloe at HUD in Washington D.C. forwarded to me an email link to an article about a Milwaukee agent who filed a report against another agent who cooperated with a seller's discriminatory actions.  You'll find the article at

http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/enforcement/silkey-media-advisory.pdf

The article is entitled "HUD Charges RE/MAX Agent in Milwaukee With Violating the Fair Housing Act" and was published in a recent HUD Media Advisory.

Lenn -- I'm always surprised myself when a site omits the Fair Housing Logo.  I know it isn't required by law, but displaying the logo is a very good way to reaffirm the intention to cooperate with HUD in enforcing Fair Housing laws.

Ann -- The person I interviewed made it very clear that HUD Enforcement Division is taking a keen interest in websites dealing with real estate matters (or sites that post real estate listings), particularly the big ones!  I imagine that would include Trulia, Zillow, Active Rain, even sites like Craigslist.

Mike -- Thanks!  Paul's comments are always a welcome contribution!

Lola -- HUD has made it clear that they expect the same compliance with Fair Housing from everyone, regardless of whether they are a licensee or not.  Of course, the Code of Ethics and State/Municipal laws and related penalties are involved as well.  It's clear that anyone who violates Fair Housing can find themselves in a lot of trouble in a hurry!

Joan -- For some reason, housing discrimination claims have surged during the past couple of years.  These things seem to run in cycles.  I don't know if anyone has done a study that explains why the problem keeps coming back.

Jackie -- I think the HUD spokesperson's statement was a reaction to a comment made on Active Rain by a non-licensee who boasted that he is not affected by Fair Housing laws. 

Margaret -- I agree it's ironic to find one cabinet-level department calling on us to help put an end to housing discrimination and another department bringing accusations against our industry regarding so-called anticompetitive practices.

I think it's a lesson learned that we need to remember the transparency of blogging, not to mention anything we upload to the Web.  Social communities have a very seductive way of luring some participants into a false sense of security about the privacy of blogs and comments.  But there is nothing very private about the Internet!

Diane, thank you for commenting!  I think occasional reminders are valuable to all of us.

Jackie -- There's an awful lot of confusion and misinformation on the part of agents (and non-agents) regarding Fair Housing law.   It's too bad there isn't more uniformity in the teaching of anti-discrimination on a nationwide basis. 

Thanks for your comments! 

Terri -- Awareness of anti-discrimination laws is good for business, in addition to being required in our respective professions!

Jeff -- It's significant that the Web is being watched for violations.  I suppose there are other Federal agencies that watch the Internet for illegal activity in other ares, like Anti-trust or fraud.  Having a presence on the Web is a double-edged sword!  You have to be online to be successful, but it puts you under a microscope at the same time.

Lane -- Realistically, there's probably no way that any government agency can gather the information they need without the help of the public.  The good thing is that we can inform the consumer who asks us to violate the law that we are bound by law to enforce and report anti-discrimination.  If we share that information with them at the first sign of trouble and they change their attitude, then there's nothing to report.

It took a lot of courage for that First Weber agent in Milwaukee to report a colleague and homeowner recently.  I found that HUD bulletin interesting.  Here's the link again for anyone who missed it in the thread above:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/enforcement/silkey-media-advisory.pdf 

Suzi, thank you!

I'd like to believe that the number of complaints can be attributed to better reporting.  But I have read that the FBI reports a surge in the number of "hate crimes" across the United States during the past couple of years.  So it's possible that Fair Housing violations are on the rise for other reasons.