Fair Housing
It is Your Right!
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, better known as the Fair Housing Act, made it unlawful to discriminate in any aspect relating to the sale, rental or financing of housing or in the provisions of brokerage services or facilities in connection with the sale or rental of a dwelling because of:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Sex
- Disability
- National Origin
Familial Status (when there are children under the age of 18 and/or a pregnant woman)
The Fair Housing Amendments of 1988 was enacted to strengthen the administrative enforcement provisions of Title VIII and it added prohibitions against discrimination in housing on the basis of disability and familial status. In February 2012, HUD published a final rule in the Federal Register entitled Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. This rule will ensure that HUD programs are open to all eligible individuals regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It also provides for the award of monetary damages where discriminatory housing practices are found.
The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is the federal agency with primary responsibility for enforcing the Fair Housing Act. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, there have been great improvements in providing equal housing opportunity. However, discrimination still exists, making the Fair Housing Act an extremely important tool in fighting against housing discrimination.
Any person who feels they have been discriminated against may file a complaint of housing discrimination:
(800) 669-9777 Toll Free
TDD (800) 927-9275
We are in the process of developing our Assessment of Fair Housing, which uses data and maps provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The data and maps are accessible to the public through HUD's website:
https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/4867/affh-data-and-mapping-tool/
Additional Resources
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/FHLaws/yourrights