Learn about illegal housing discrimination, including how to file a complaint.

What types of housing discrimination are renters protected from?

The federal Fair Housing Act and Fair Housing Amendments Act (42 U.S. Code §§ 3601-3619, 3631) prohibit landlords from choosing tenants on the basis of a group characteristic such as:

• race
• religion
• ethnic background or national origin
• sex
• familial status, including having children or being pregnant (except in certain designated senior housing), or
• a mental or physical disability.

In addition, some state and local laws prohibit discrimination based on a person's marital status, age, or sexual orientation.

Landlords can always select tenants using criteria that are based on valid business reasons, such as requiring a minimum income or positive references from previous landlords, as long as these standards are applied equally to all tenants.

What kinds of subtle discrimination are illegal?

The Fair Housing Acts prohibit landlords from taking any of the following actions based on race, religion, or any other protected category:

• falsely denying that a rental unit is available to some applicants
• advertising that indicates a preference based on group characteristic, such as skin color
• setting more restrictive standards, such as higher income, for certain tenants
• refusing to reasonably accommodate the needs of disabled tenants, such as allowing a guide dog, hearing dog, or other service animal
• setting different terms for some tenants, such as adopting an inconsistent policy of responding to late rent payments, or
• terminating a tenancy for a discriminatory reason.

How can a renter file a discrimination complaint?