08/05/2026
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenter: Doug Chasick, CPM®, "That Fair Housing Guy"
HUD's May 2026 Internal Enforcement Guidance Memo represents one of the most significant changes to animal-related reasonable accommodation requests in recent years. The new guidance rescinds previous HUD assistance animal guidance and establishes a new enforcement approach that aligns more closely with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of service animals. For multifamily housing professionals, this shift raises important questions about evaluating accommodation requests, handling documentation, managing pet policies, and mitigating fair housing risk.
This webinar will examine the distinction between Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and trained assistance animals. We’ll discuss what these changes mean for multifamily professionals. You'll gain the knowledge needed to evaluate and act upon accommodation requests confidently while maintaining compliance with fair housing requirements.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how the key changes in HUD's May 2026 Internal Enforcement Guidance Memo will impact our consideration of reasonable accommodation requests for assistance animals
- How to differentiate between Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), trained assistance animals, and ADA-defined service animals
- How to operate in the new world of withdrawn guidance while minimizing fair housing compliance risks
Doug Chasick, That Fair Housing Guy™, is the former President of the Fair Housing Institute, Inc. With more than 47 years of investment real estate experience, he began as the Resident Manager of a 524-unit apartment property and has been the President or CEO of five real estate companies, responsible for portfolios of over 28,000 apartments, and more than 8 million square feet of commercial, retail and industrial properties.
Doug was awarded his CPM® in 1979 and was a member of the IREM National Faculty. A Senior Instructor member of the NAAEI Faculty, he leads the Advanced Facilitator Training course, is the co-author of “Outstanding Facilitation Techniques”, and was deeply involved in the creation of the joint IREM & NAAEI “Fair Housing and Beyond” course. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida, a licensed Expert Fair Housing Instructor in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the recipient of the NAAEI Apartment Career & Education award.