The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts independent audits, evaluations, investigations, and other reviews of HUDs programs to protect against fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and misconduct. HUD OIG’s oversight responsibilities include making timely recommendations to improve the economy and efficiency of HUD programs and operations. In March 2023, HUD OIG expanded its efforts to ensure tenants who receive rental assistance from HUD are protected from sexual misconduct in housing by pursuing and investigating predatory landlords and other housing providers with authority and control over HUD assisted housing.
Sexual misconduct in housing includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other unwelcomed sexual advances or behaviors, such as sexually suggestive comments or questions that make it hard to live and feel safe in your home. Sexual harassment by a landlord, maintenance worker, or anyone with authority, control over, or official access to rental property is against the law.
HUD OIG investigations have helped stop bad actors by pursuing criminal and civil prosecutions against them and eliminating their ability to be a landlord or building manager and secured monetary settlements for victims and jail time for offenders. HUD OIG is working with its law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue, investigate, and seek justice for survivors and to hold housing providers accountable for sexually assaulting or harassing HUD tenants.
The following examples are based on incidents of sexual harassment and misconduct in public housing that has been reported to and investigated by HUD OIG:
• A landlord asked for sex in exchange for renting an apartment and accepting a Housing Choice Section 8 Voucher.
• When a tenant falls behind on rent, the building manager demands sex from the tenant to avoid eviction.
• A landlord or property manager touched a prospective tenant inappropriately when showing her an apartment for rent.
• A maintenance man will not do any repairs in an apartment unless the tenant has sex with him.
• A housing authority official offers to move a prospective tenant up on the housing waitlist in exchange for sex.
• A landlord makes sexually suggestive comments to a tenant causing the tenant to alter her daily routines to avoid interacting with the landlord.
• A security guard makes comments about a tenant’s body, has access to her personal information, and sends the tenant provocative messages. The tenant suspects the guard is entering her apartment without permission or an official purpose.
• A landlord asks tenants to go to areas away from his business office (isolated from other people) and asks them to give him a massage or engages in sexually suggestive conversations with them.
• A maintenance worker asks, “what’s in it for me,” when asked to make repairs to a unit.
Every person deserves to find and stay in housing without facing the threat of being sexually harassed by a landlord. No one should be turned away or evicted from HUD assisted housing for choosing not to submit to sexual demands, advances, or inappropriate behavior.
Landlord Fined for Same-Sex Harassment – Experienced Buffalo Lawyers (wny-lawyers.com)
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