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On February 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it will begin to enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  This is a significant change because in many states, including Pennsylvania, a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identification has not been treated as a protected class.

Moving forward, housing providers, like landlords and condominium and homeowners’ associations, will need to treat sexual orientation and gender identity the same way that they treat race, color, gender, nationality, disability and familial status.

Reasonable Accommodations

Most of my posts on Lancaster Law Blog that deal with the Fair Housing Act talk about emotional support animals. All of the emotional support animal stories involve someone with a disability requesting a reasonable accommodation.
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Continue Reading The Fair Housing Act Will Enforce Prohibition on Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

This time of the year, our thoughts turn to family and friends.  Maybe we reflect on the past year or look forward to the next.  For association boards and property managers, these happy thoughts are interrupted by questions about snow removal. When do we call snowplows? What kinds of deicers should we use? And does our association have any liability for slips and falls?
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Continue Reading HOA Snow Removal: Your Questions Answered

Any time I can use Schoolhouse Rock to explain a complicated legal issue, I have to jump on it.  Today is one of those days.  On June 9, the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives adopted Concurrent Resolution 836.  The Concurrent Resolution said that the state of disaster emergency due to COVID-19 was over…

For weeks, associations, municipalities, children’s day camps and public swimming pool organizations have been trying to decide if they could open summer recreation facilities such as pools, parks and playgrounds.  The state has only recently released directions on how to open businesses, like construction, in a socially distant way.

Going into the Memorial Day…

Beginning on May 1, 2020, Pennsylvania will allow businesses that are involved in construction to open. These construction businesses must follow state guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Reopening construction will allow some workers to return to their jobs and some people to move into their new homes.  

However, just because Pennsylvania construction …

In the past few weeks, we have looked at many of the economic stimulus and consumer protection parts of the CARES Act. A minor section in the Act has also corrected the “Retail Glitch” of 2018’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This correction will now allow business owners to depreciate improvements and equipment – …

**UPDATE 5/9/2020**  Governor Wolf ordered all foreclosures and evictions delayed until July 10, 2020.  If a mortgage company, landlord or manufactured home park owner has already sent out the required paperwork to start a foreclosure or eviction (Act 6 or 91 Notice, Notice to Quit, MHCRA Notice, etc.), they have to start all of the…

The CARES Act makes several changes to how people can use their retirement accounts during the coronavirus crisis – in particular, how they can use their retirement distributions. These provisions are another way to help people through the financial strain of this year.

Distributions from Retirement Plans

The CARES Act allows retirement distributions from an …

Attorneys at Russell, Krafft & Gruber took part in the Community Wellness Expo at the Hempfield Rec Center on March 8.  Attorneys Lindsay Schoeneberger, Kathy Krafft Miller and Kim Carter Paterson provided information and answered questions about Wills, Estate Planning, Financial Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney.  Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney are an important but often overlooked part of health planning.  Everyone, regardless of their age or their current health status, should have a plan for what happens if things go wrong.  Even though it is unpleasant to talk about, it is much more unpleasant to have an emergency with no plan in place.…
Continue Reading Russell, Krafft & Gruber, LLP takes part in the Hempfield Community Wellness Expo