Fair housing gave me an Accommodation Request for 90 days

[Luke Goodman]

Today I received an email from Fair Housing here in Washington State requesting that I make a reasonable accommodation for my tenant with a disability. The tenant got a doctors note (actually from a nurse) stating that he needs 90 days longer to vacate. He was on a month-to-month lease and we chose not to renew his lease because we need to renovate the unit.

I’m just wondering if anyone has had this happen to them or if anyone has any input on what I should do. I don’t understand how 90 extra days is a reasonable accommodation.

Thanks in advance

[Nathan Gesner]

They are asking you to make the accommodation. If you do not consider it "reasonable" then you can deny it. If you are going to deny it, you should be able to demonstrate how it will create an undue burden on you. 

Your only plan is to renovate. Can you still renovate in 90 days? Absolutely. Will it cause you an unreasonable burden? Probably not. You could argue it may be harder to find a new tenant at the end of the summer, but I don't know if that's true for your market. Maybe you're unable to renovate after 90 days because of your work schedule.

You should make every effort to accommodate. If you can't, be honest and let them know but be prepared to justify your decision.