How to Use the Fair Housing Hotline

If you feel that you or someone you know has been discriminated against in any housing situation, then you can contact the United States Department of Justice's Housing Section to make a report. Using the fair housing hotline to give the government a discrimination tip is a fairly easy process.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Visit the U.S. Department of Justice website to find more details about using the fair housing hotline.
2. Call the 1-800 number provided on the website. To report your fair housing discrimination tip via phone, you can use the toll-free tip line provided, use the local number if applicable or use the number provided for the hearing impaired. The site also provides a fax number if you'd like to fax the report.
3. Email your housing discrimination report. If you prefer to email the U.S. Department of Justice instead of using the fair housing hotline, you can send them an email which will include an automatic acknowledgement of receipt.
4. Write to the U.S. Department of Justice. If neither of these options work for you, there's also the option of mailing a housing discrimination report to the department located in Washington, DC.
5. File a formal complaint. If you'd like to do more than contact the fair housing hotline with a report of discrimination, you also have the option of filing a formal complaint. To do so, you must contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development via the toll-free number provided or by visiting their website for further information about mail-in complaints and local offices that can provide assistance.

Tips & Warnings

• Fair housing complaints can include any situation where a person wanting to rent or buy a home or apartment has been discriminated against based on their sex, religion, family status, race, color, national origin or disability.
• You can file a fair housing complaint with any of HUD's Offices of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity or with any State or local agencies that HUD has certified to receive these types of complaints.
• Besides the national Fair Housing Hotline, you can also find hotlines in various states by searching the Internet or sometimes by looking in your local phonebook under government offices.