What is the term for the informal resolution step in fair housing investigations?

• A. Mediation
• B. Conciliation
• C. Litigation
• D. Arbitration

Answer: (B)

Conciliation is the informal, administrative step used to resolve a fair housing complaint without going to court. After the investigation, the agency may offer a conciliation agreement that remedies the discrimination, provides relief to the complainant, and ensures future compliance. This process aims to settle quickly and without adversarial litigation, often including actions like compensation, policy changes, training, or monitoring. It’s different from mediation, which is a voluntary process with a neutral facilitator to help the parties reach any agreement, and from arbitration, where a neutral arbitrator issues a binding decision, or from litigation, which is a formal court action.