August 26, 2022

A Baltimore family says their home was undervalued by more than $250,000 because they’re Black. They have filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against the appraiser and mortgage lender. Their home was originally appraised at $472,000, and they were denied a refinancing loan. But after removing any indications that a Black family lived there, a second appraiser valued the home at $750,000. “It’s a concern, and it should be a concern for the entire appraisal industry, as well as mortgage lenders,” said James Park, executive director of the Appraisal Subcommittee.

Housing is a main benefit for service members, but many military families have been struggling to secure affordable and quality housing since the start of the pandemic. Housing allowances, which vary by rank and are recalculated annually, haven’t kept pace with rental markets, making housing on base particularly competitive and housingoff base expensive. This has forced many families to live in substandard homes, experience long commutes, or pay large unexpected costs.

As rental prices surge and with few pandemic protections in place, housing officials are looking to the courts to slow the rise in evictions. Currently, 180 jurisdictions across 36 states have adopted eviction diversion programs that bring landlords and tenants together to resolve their disputes and connect renters with resources to bring their accounts up to good standing. 

Mobile home parks are an affordable housing option for millions of Americans but, for some, may come at the expense of health and safety concerns. Residents of the Heritage Plantation community filed a lawsuit against the mobile park’s owner, Equity Lifestyle Partners, for neglecting needed repairs to the park’s stormwater drainage system, which has caused frequent floods after rainfall. Residents say the water has damaged their homes and is often deep enough that people get trapped in their houses.