California HOAs and Mental Health: Harassment, Isolation, and Legal Protections

In this episode of HOA Hell, attorney Michael Kushner tackles real-life mental health scenarios in California HOAs and explains how disability protections intersect with nuisance rules. You’ll hear how FHA and FEHA apply, where boards cross the line with harassment, public shaming, or refusing reasonable accommodations, and what practical accommodations and processes actually look like. 

🎯 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How mental health conditions are treated as disabilities under FHA and FEHA, and why accommodations are required while health and safety remain paramount.

✅ Examples of reasonable accommodations.

✅ Where boards go wrong, from automatic “nuisance” labels to refusing the accommodation process and breaching confidentiality about a resident’s condition.

✅ How to request accommodation the right way.  

These takeaways give homeowners a playbook for asserting rights, proposing reasonable solutions, and pressing boards to engage in the required interactive process without crossing into harassment or selective enforcement. 

🔔 Subscribe for more full-length episodes and shorts to help you fight back against abusive HOA practices. 

🎧 Listen on YouTube @hoahellpodcastofficial or wherever you get your podcasts. 

🌐 📞Need help? Contact MBK Chapman at www.mbkchapman.com. Mention the HOA HELL podcast for a discounted consultation. 

DISCLAIMER:  

This content constitutes attorney advertising.  

The content of this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast, submitting a question, or receiving a response. Always consult with a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal situation. MBK Chapman and Michael Kushner disclaim any liability for actions taken or not taken based on the information provided in this podcast.  

This communication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. 

ABOUT:  

Michael Kushner is the attorney who pioneered this niche area of the law—representing homeowners in disputes with their HOAs—in California. He created and taught the systems now used by the biggest law firms in the state focused on HOA litigation. Through his firm, MBK Chapman, and now through HOA HELL, Kushner continues to give homeowners practical legal tools to fight back. 

#MentalHealthHOA #ReasonableAccommodationsHOA #FairHousingAct #FEHA #FHA #DavisStirlingAct #lscarlsonlaw #michaelkushner #mbkchapman #badHOA #HOAHELLbook 

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