What Is the Fair Housing Act?
The Fair Housing Act is a federal law enacted in 1968 that prohibits discrimination in the purchase, sale, rental, or financing of housing—private or public—based on race, skin color, sex, nationality, or religion. The statute has been amended several times, including in 1988 to add disability and family status.1 State and local laws may expand on these protections in some jurisdictions, but may not detract from or reduce them. #fairhousing
What Makes for Housing Discrimination?
Here are some examples of what may be considered illegal discrimination under the law:
- A landlord says that an apartment is available when a prospective tenant calls to inquire over the phone, but upon seeing that the person who inquired is African American, says that the apartment has just been rented. Upon hearing an inquiry from a member of another race, the landlord says it is available again.
- A real estate agent refuses to show a house for sale in a specific neighborhood because of the race, religion, or ethnicity of the buyer—or conversely, steers a buyer to a different neighborhood when they asked to see a property elsewhere at the same price range.
- A mortgage lender charges an applicant a higher interest rate for a loan to buy a home in a predominately Latinx neighborhood than in a predominately white neighborhood or steers a borrower to a loan with less favorable terms because of their sex, race, or nationality.
- A modern multifamily condominium fails to comply with accessibility requirements for buildings erected after 1991, such that a prospective wheelchair-bound buyer can’t access a unit or parking there.
- A rental agent refuses to rent an apartment to any single woman with children
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Fair Housing Act outlaws discrimination against home renters and buyers by landlords, sellers, and lenders on account of their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, or family status.
- The Act is enforced at the federal level by the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
- State laws can enhance the protections under the Fair Housing Act, but cannot reduce them.
- Housing discrimination persists nonetheless and can be difficult to prove. Winning a legal case requires proper documentation and patience. #entarlovesyou
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Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact (213) 880-9910 or visit LAcondoInfo.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.