Does this apply to a condominium I own?

Yes. The Fair Housing Act reaches condominium and homeowners associations, not just landlords. An association can set reasonable conditions on how work is done. It generally cannot simply refuse a reasonable modification you are paying for.

Do I have to tell them my medical condition?

No. You need to establish that the modification relates to a disability or health condition. You are not required to disclose a diagnosis, and a request for detailed medical records in response to a simple modification request is worth questioning.

Who pays for putting it back?

Usually you, and usually only if it was agreed in advance. That is exactly why the agreement should be written before work starts, and why it should specify that in-wall reinforcement remains rather than being torn out.

What if they say no anyway?

Get the refusal in writing along with the reason. A written refusal to a reasonable modification request is the document that matters if the dispute goes anywhere, and asking for it in writing frequently resolves the matter without going anywhere at all.

Guide

Can a landlord or association refuse to let you install grab bars?

Generally no, and the reason why is a distinction most people have never heard, even though it decides who pays for the work.

The federal rule

Under the federal Fair Housing Act, a landlord, condominium association or homeowners association generally cannot refuse to allow a reasonable modification to your home when you are paying for it yourself. Grab bars and ramps are named examples.

The protection covers privately owned rentals, buildings governed by a condominium or homeowners association, and retirement communities. It is not limited to subsidized housing, which is the assumption that stops most people from asking.

Modification and accommodation are not the same word

A modification is a physical change to the property. A grab bar, a ramp, a widened doorway. You normally pay for it.

An accommodation is a change to rules, policies or services. A parking space nearer the door, permission for a live-in aide, an exception to a no-pets rule for a service animal. The housing provider bears that cost.

This is where people lose money. Asking for a physical change as though it were an accommodation gets you refused. Asking for the right one, correctly named, gets you a yes. If the building receives federal financial assistance, the cost of a modification may fall on the provider rather than you, which is worth asking about explicitly.

What they can require

They may require that the work be done in a professional manner, and they may ask for a licensed contractor, a certificate of insurance, drawings, an approved vendor list, or restrictions on working hours.

A landlord may also require that a modification be undone at the end of a tenancy, and may ask you to remove the grab bars. There is an important limit on that. They may not require you to remove the reinforcement inside the wall that holds them. The blocking stays. It is invisible, it harms nothing, and it means the next tenant who needs a bar can have one cheaply.

How to ask so that it works

Put the request in writing and keep it brief. Say what you need and that it relates to a disability or health condition. You do not have to disclose a diagnosis.

Ask what the association or landlord requires: licensed contractor, certificate of insurance, drawings, approved vendors, working hours. Get the approval in writing before any work begins, and keep it.

Agree in writing what, if anything, must be restored when you leave. Settling that at the start costs nothing. Settling it at the end costs a deposit.

Common questions

Does this apply to a condominium I own?: Yes. The Fair Housing Act reaches condominium and homeowners associations, not just landlords. An association can set reasonable conditions on how work is done. It generally cannot simply refuse a reasonable modification you are paying for.
Do I have to tell them my medical condition?: No. You need to establish that the modification relates to a disability or health condition. You are not required to disclose a diagnosis, and a request for detailed medical records in response to a simple modification request is worth questioning.
Who pays for putting it back?: Usually you, and usually only if it was agreed in advance. That is exactly why the agreement should be written before work starts, and why it should specify that in-wall reinforcement remains rather than being torn out.
What if they say no anyway?: Get the refusal in writing along with the reason. A written refusal to a reasonable modification request is the document that matters if the dispute goes anywhere, and asking for it in writing frequently resolves the matter without going anywhere at all.

This page is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Program terms and statutory figures change. Confirm anything you intend to rely on with the issuing authority.