The Fair Housing Act was adopted in 1968 and administered by HUD as a way to minimize discriminatory housing practices. If a complaint is filed with HUD offices, it is investigated by the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). However, there is more that goes into this act. Let’s take a closer look.
What Does the Act Protect?
The Fair Housing Act was created to prohibit the following actions based on race, color, nationality, religion, sex, familial status or handicap when selling or renting a house:
- Refusal to rent
- Refusal to negotiate for housing
- Making housing unavailable
- Denying a dwelling
- Setting different terms, conditions or privileges
- Providing different housing services
- Falsely denying that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental
- Persuading an owner to sell or rent for profit
The following is prohibited in mortgage lending when based on any of the above factors:
- Refusing to make a mortgage loan
- Refusing to provide information regarding loans
- Imposing different terms on a loan
- Discriminating during appraisals
- Setting different terms or refusing to purchase a loan
Most Houses Are Covered
While many assume that only HUD homes, HUD apartments and HUD approved condos are covered by this act, most homes are actually covered. The only dwellings that may be exempt from this act include owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without a broker and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.
The act was created to protect anyone, whether living in a HUD home or not. If you feel that you’ve been discriminated against in a way that violates the act, contact your local HUD office to file a complaint.
