The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) is a federal law designed to ease financial and legal burdens on service members so military duty doesn't create civil legal disadvantages. For multifamily housing, SCRA most commonly comes up in three scenarios: early lease termination, eviction proceedings, and disputes over financial obligations.
Violations can result in the U.S. Department of Justice pursuing civil penalties, private lawsuits, and — increasingly — reputational damage when cases become public. SCRA compliance and fair housing compliance are not separate silos. Many SCRA missteps become fair housing problems when policies are applied inconsistently.
SCRA compliance is really about process discipline: knowing the triggers, having a consistent procedure, and routing decisions to the right people. Fair housing risk in almost always comes from inconsistency or assumption, not from following a clear written policy.
Regulators, military legal assistance offices, and state attorneys general are paying closer attention to how multifamily operators treat military residents. This session gives your team a clear, workable framework so you can handle these situations with confidence instead of crossing your fingers and hoping it works out.
Why should you attend this:
1. Explain the purpose and scope of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
2. Identify which military members are protected under the SCRA.
3. Determine when residential lease termination rights apply.
4. Evaluate military orders and supporting documentation.
5. Calculate the proper lease termination date under the SCRA.
6. Avoid common compliance mistakes that lead to legal liability.
7. Document SCRA requests in a legally defensible manner.
8. Distinguish SCRA obligations from Fair Housing Act and VAWA requirements.
Areas covered in the session:
1. What Is the SCRA—and Why It Matters
2. Who Is Protected Under the Law?
3. Understanding Military Orders
4. When Can a Resident Legally Terminate a Lease?
5. Calculating the Correct Termination Date
6. Documentation and File Management
7. The Biggest Compliance Mistakes Apartment Managers Make
8. Real-World Case Studies and Audience Q&A
Who should attend this:
* There will be time allowed for questions at the end of the presentations. (Live Session)
*Not able to attend the live session? Choose an On-Demand or Digital Download option to watch the session later.
Doug Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, Adv. RAM, SLE, That Fair Housing Guy™, is the former President of the Fair Housing Institute, Inc. With more than 46 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 for eight years. A Senior Instructor member of the NAAEI Faculty, he leads the Advanced Facilitator Training course, is the co-author of “Outstanding Facilitation Techniques”, and a co-author 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.
