OUR POLICY

The Fair Housing Act prohibits advertising "any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin, or the intent to make such a preference, limitation, or discrimination." State, provincial, and local fair housing and nondiscrimination laws may prohibit discriminatory advertising in the same and/or additional categories, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and social conditions such as the source of income.

We will not knowingly accept or authorize illegal real estate advertisements. All interested parties are hereby notified that all advertised residences are available on an equal opportunity basis.

THE LAW

Several state, provincial, and federal laws were enacted to ensure equal opportunity and prevent discrimination in housing for all people when buying, selling, or leasing a home or apartment. The United States Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibits all forms of racial discrimination in the sale and rental of real estate. In addition, the US Fair Housing Act declares a national policy of fair housing throughout the United States, making illegal any housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.

Other laws also affect the purchase, sale, or lease of a home or apartment, as well as its rental. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public and commercial accommodations. The US Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in any aspect of a credit application on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or the applicant's total or partial reliance on public assistance.

Additionally, state, provincial, and local laws prohibit discrimination based on additional classes not covered by federal law. States, provinces, and municipalities may also include explicit protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political beliefs, and language. Multiple states, provinces, and municipalities prohibit discrimination based on a prospective tenant's income source or other social conditions. This means that in certain states and municipalities, landlords cannot refuse to rent to potential tenants who will use a voucher or subsidy to pay rent, such as a Section 8 voucher. In these states and municipalities, it is also illegal for landlords or housing providers to post advertisements or listings that discourage tenants who intend to use subsidies from applying (such as "no vouchers" or "vouchers not accepted").

As a home seller or landlord, you are required by law not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, and other applicable categories in the sale, rental, and financing of the property. You cannot instruct the licensed broker or salesperson who is acting as your agent to convey any restrictions regarding the sale or rental, as real estate professionals are prohibited by law from engaging in discrimination. The law also prohibits real estate agents from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or other applicable categories. They cannot comply with a home seller or landlord's request to act in a discriminatory manner during the sale, lease, or rental. In addition, a home seller or landlord cannot establish discriminatory terms or conditions in the purchase or rental, deny that housing is available, or advertise that the property is only available to individuals of a particular race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, and other applicable categories.

You have the right to expect that housing will be available to you without discrimination or other restrictions based on your race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or any other applicable category. This includes the right to expect equal professional service, the opportunity to consider a wide variety of housing options, no discriminatory limitations on communities or locations of housing, no discrimination in the financing, appraising, or insuring of housing, reasonable accommodations in rules, practices, and procedures for individuals with disabilities, and freedom from harassment or intimidation for exercising your fair housing rights. In many states, provinces, and municipalities, you also have the right to expect that housing will be accessible to you without discrimination based on additional categories, such as income source. This means that a landlord cannot refuse to rent to you or treat you less favorably because you intend to pay your rent with a subsidy or voucher.

IF YOU SUSPECT DISCRIMINATION:

Despite our zero-tolerance policy, the majority of the information on this website about real estate and related topics is provided by third parties or via links to third-party websites. Consequently, we may be unaware of instances of potential discrimination committed by these third parties. If you observe potentially discriminatory language in a listing or suspect that one of these sites engages in discrimination, please contact our staff at [email protected].

Complaints alleging discrimination in housing in the United States may be filed with the nearest office of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or by calling HUD's toll-free number, 1-800-669-9777 (voice), or 1-800-543-8294 (TDD). You can contact HUD on the internet at https://www.hud.gov.

If you believe that you have been the victim of discrimination, you can also contact your state or province's Attorney General or a local legal aid organization.