Sixteen Housing Discrimination Action First Time Home Buyers Should Be Aware Of
Hello, and a very good bright, and sunny Monday morning to you. The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and familial status. While the Act does not specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender person who believes they have experienced housing discrimination may still be covered by the Fair Housing Act. Here are a few more things to know about this Act that was first passed in 1968, and was amended in 1974 and again in 1988.
It is illegal to take any of the following actions based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin:
Refuse to rent or sell housing.
Refuse to negotiate for housing.
Make housing unavailable.
Set different terms and conditions.
Charge higher rent and or security deposit.
Provide different housing services, such as delayed maintenance or repairs.
Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental.
Make, print or publish any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a home that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination.
Impose different sales prices or rental charges for the sale or rental of a home.
Use different qualification criteria or applications, or sale or rental standards or procedures, such as income standards, application requirements, application fees, credit analyses, sale or rental approval procedures or other requirements.
Harass renters and or home buyers.
Limit privileges, services or facilities.
Discourage the purchase or rental of a home.
Guide prospective home buyers toward or away from certain neighborhoods. (steering)
For profit, persuade, or try to persuade, homeowners to sell their homes by suggesting that people of a particular protected characteristic are about to move into the neighborhood. (blockbusting)
Refuse to provide the terms or conditions of homeowners insurance because of the race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin of the owner and/or occupants of a home.
In addition, it is also illegal to threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising their fair housing right, or retaliate against a person who has filed a fair housing complaint. For more information please visit Harris County Fair Housing. To report housing discrimination please call 1800-669-9777 or visit HUD.
As always, thank you so much for stopping by. Remember, if you are thinking of purchasing your first home, please contact us. We are here to help. We have been helping Houston first time home buyers since 2011 and we can help you. I hope you have an amazing day. Until next time...Diana
