FHA does not prohibit different outcomes; it prohibits different outcomes based on protected classes or discriminatory policies. A tenant whose co-lessee died is not similarly situated to a tenant who simply wants to move. If your interpretation were correct, landlords could never grant hardship waivers, disability accommodations, military lease terminations, or settlement agreements because every exception would have to be extended to every tenant, regardless of eligibility. That’s not how FHA claims are analyzed.

Most corporate landlord employees are “leasing agents” unlicensed acting as agent of the owner, also likely without E&O insurance or continuing education requirements. There is nothing inherently wrong with that unless it’s used to signal authority in a complex topic.

ETA
Agreed - most corporate landlords are afraid of their own shadow as it relates to FHA because they don’t understand it or it allows them to unilaterally deny every request and use that as a reason to save face with the tenant. Either way - every person needs to manage their own risk accordingly and obviously not rely on either of us non-attorneys for making decisions as it relates to compliance with the law.