7 Federally Protected Classes

In 1968 the Fair-housing amendment act was established to provide renters constitutional rights to equal housing rights. This act prohibited persons to discriminate based upon:

Race

A person's ethic background.

Color

The tone or shade of a person's skin.

Religion

The spiritual belief of an individual.

National Origin

The country in which the individual originated from.

Sex

A person's gender.

In 1988 the act was amended to lend protection to the following classes of individuals:

Familial Status

Person's with individuals that are under 18 years of age.

Handicap / ADA

A person's physical or mental impairment.

 Fair-Housing Laws

Who Can File a Fair Housing Complaint?

Anyone that including fair housing testers that feel you have discriminated against them for their housing needs can file a lawsuit with HUD (U.S. Department of Housing Development)

How Much Time Does a Person Have to File a Complaint?

A fair housing complaint can be filed up to one year after an alleged discriminatory act has been made against a person.

The Importance of Documentation

To limit the liability associated with fair housing lawsuits, you must be able to provide documentation that supports evidence that you are not selectively discriminating against any persons. It is important that your documentation shows a consistent pattern and all persons have been treated equally.

General Guidelines

Steering

Do not attempt to steer or direct a person to a particular apartment home because they have children and you suggest they live near the playground.

Occupancy Guidelines

In general most communities allow 2 person's per bedroom. If they have a child that is under 12 months of age then they are allowed to have the additional occupant in the bedroom until they turn 12 months of age. Upon renewal of their lease they are expected to then follow the guidelines set for the community.

Handicap

If a handicap resident request to have modifications made to their apartment home, then all reasonable cost are generally assumed by the property. However, accommodations that are beyond reasonable request are completed at the resident's expense. Upon move-out the apartment home should be returned to its original state.

 More Information

 Local HUD Information by State

Fair Housing Laws and Presidential Executive Orders