When buying or renting a home, the seller, lender, or landlord cannot discriminate against you based on your “type”. This was a common practice in the real estate world that made it difficult for some minority groups to find accommodation. The Fair Housing Act put an end to this practice and made discrimination illegal.
What is the Fair Housing Act?
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act in 1968 to prohibit discrimination against buyers and tenants based on race, color, gender, religion, disability, national origin, or marital status. The Fair Housing Act was part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and prevented landlords and home sellers from restricting who they rent or sell to based on skin color.
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How the Fair Housing Act prevents discrimination
With the Fair Housing Act, it is illegal to discriminate against someone buying or renting a house. Under the Fair Housing Act, these acts are illegal when it comes to buying or renting someone in a sheltered class.
- “Refuse to rent or sell apartments.
- “Refuse to negotiate housing.
- “Otherwise there is no living space available.
- “Establish different conditions or privileges for selling or renting an apartment.
- “Provide different services or facilities to one person.
- “You falsely deny that homes are available for inspection, sale or rental.
- “Make, print or publish notices, statements or advertisements relating to the sale or rental of an apartment that indicate preferences, restrictions or discrimination.
- “Different sales prices or rental costs are charged for selling or renting an apartment.
- “Use different qualification criteria or applications, or sales or rental standards or processes, such as income standards, application requirements, application fees, credit analysis, sales or rental approval processes, or other requirements.
- “Eviction of a tenant or a guest of a tenant.
- “Harass a person.
- “Failure to perform maintenance or repair work.
- “Limit the privileges, services or facilities of an apartment.
- “Discourage buying or renting an apartment.
- “Assign a person to a specific building or neighborhood or section of a building or neighborhood.
- “To make a profit, convince homeowners or try to convince them to sell their homes by suggesting that people with a certain protected trait move into the neighborhood (blockbusting).
- “Deny or discriminate the terms of homeowners insurance based on the race, color, religion, gender, disability, marital status or national origin of the owner and / or residents of an apartment.
- “Deny access to, or membership of, any multiple listing service or real estate agency.
- “Refuse to take out a mortgage loan or provide any other financial assistance for an apartment.
- “Refuse to provide credit information.
- “Set different terms and conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees.
- “Discriminate when evaluating an apartment.
- “Condition credit availability from a person’s response to harassment.
- “Refuse to buy a loan.
- “”[Harassing] someone from a protected class in some way.
- “Threaten, coerce, intimidate or disturb anyone who exercises fair housing or helps others who exercise the right.
- “Retaliation against someone who filed a fair living complaint or participated in a fair living investigation.”
Conclusion
When buying or renting a home, it is important to know what the law protects you from so that you can see if you are being discriminated against. If you feel you have been discriminated against in this way, you can file a complaint with HUD.
Todd Wilkinson is the founder and owner of FonHome Realty. FonHome is a customer focused broker where our clients are in control and our seasoned agents are respected for providing the positive and exciting experience the real estate transaction should be. Todd is an accomplished real estate investor with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in business administration. Todd has held senior and executive positions at the world’s two largest retailers and a successful startup. Todd served on the University of Arkansas Advisory Board and is an active contributor to St. Theresa School in Kenilworth. Todd started his own brokerage business after feeling underserved in his personal real estate transactions experience and wanted a company whose job it was to meet the fiduciary duties guaranteed to the buyer and seller. Contact Todd today for a free comparable market research for your home or advice on starting your new home search at www.fonhomerealty.com.
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