Are You Facing Housing Discrimination? Here’s What to Do.
Finding a good rental or home to purchase in the current housing market can be tough; this issue can be exacerbated when a homeowner or landlord conducts discriminatory or prejudicial actions against a buyer or renter. While wrong and illegal, unfortunately, discrimination still happens to prospective clients and renters.
It’s speculated that most cases of potential housing discrimination are not reported; however, the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) still collected 8,186 complaints in 2017. The majority of the claims were based on disability; racial, familial status, retaliation, national origin, sex, religion, and color discrimination reports followed.
What defines housing discrimination?
While some housing practices can feel unfair, the act of illegal discrimination is clearly defined as to what and what it doesn’t constitute by the Fair Housing Act. According to HUD, “The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities. Additional protections apply to federally-assisted housing.” HUD further explains that the Fair Housing Act does not tolerate housing discrimination due to race, sex, religion, color, national origin, familial status, or disability.
The following discriminatory actions, as stated on the HUD website, are based on the factors listed above are prohibited under the act:
- Refuse to rent or sell housing
- Refuse to negotiate for housing
- Otherwise make housing unavailable
- Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
- Provide a person different housing services or facilities
- Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental
The full list of prohibited discriminatory action can be found on the HUD website.
The Fair Housing Act covers almost all types of housing; however, buildings with no more than four units that are occupied by the owner, or units owned by religious organizations or private clubs can be exempt by this act.
Mortgage lending is also protected against discriminatory practices under the Fair Housing Act. As stated on the HUD website, it is illegal to do any of the following based on a person’s race, religion, sex, familial status, sex, national origin, or disability:
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan or provide other financial assistance for the dwelling
- Refuse to provide information regarding loans
- Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees’
- Discriminate in appraising a dwelling
The full list of prohibited mortgage discrimination can be found on the HUD website.
What do you do if you feel you’ve been a victim of housing discrimination?
If you think you’ve been a victim of illegal housing discrimination, it’s crucial to take action and the right steps to address the matter:
- Document all incidents; this can include notating any phone conversations, saving emails and copies of phone texts, saving voicemails, retaining all mailed letters, and documenting with pictures if applicable. Essentially, keep a record of any communication and interaction you have with the party committing the acts of discrimination. Discontinue future contact with the other party.
- File a complaint with your local state housing agency or by contacting HUD. You can find out information here about filing online with HUD, or you can call their toll free number at 800-669-9777.
While you may choose to seek housing elsewhere and no longer deal with the landlord or seller of the property you were interested in, it is still important to file complaints to prevent further illegal discrimination from being enacted via that property.
Remember, most persons and companies you deal with during your housing search will abide by the laws set forth; so, don’t feel discouraged in your search for housing if you experienced the unfortunate event of housing discrimination.