How to Recognize Fair Housing Discrimination

Discriminating against renters or home buyers because of their race or religion is illegal, but it happens. Most of the time, it's subtle: Instead of an outright refusal, you'll be told the apartment is already rented, or a Realtor won't show you homes in certain neighborhoods. It's still illegal, but it's not as easy to spot.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Know who's protected. Federal law forbids housing discrimination because of race, color, religion, physical disability, sex, national origin or because a family has or will have children.
2. Realize that discrimination may not be obvious. Housing discrimination can include lying about housing being available, refusing to show homes in certain neighborhoods, setting special conditions or higher rents for unwanted applicants and refusing to make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled tenants.
3. Confirm your suspicions. If you believe a landlord is discriminating against you, ask a non-minority friend or two to apply for an apartment and see if they're treated differently.
4. File a complaint with the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) if you have cause. You can file online at www.hud.gov, call [phone] or print out a form from the website.

Tips & Warnings

• "Reasonable adjustments" for disabled renters could include modifications to the property, or allowing a guide dog to stay in a no-pets apartment complex. The landlord can request that any modifications be fixed when you leave.
• Some developments marketed exclusively to seniors can discriminate on the basis of age.
• Between 2003 and 2007, the largest numbers of housing discrimination complaints filed with HUD were for racial discrimination (34.5 percent), disability (32.8 percent), and having children (12.8 percent)
• State laws and city ordinances may ban discrimination for added reasons, such as sexual orientation. Your city hall or county commission will have the most information about the rules for your community.

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