What is Fair Housing?

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law that prohibits housing providers from discrimination because of a household’s race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.  The state of California goes further to include various additional protected characteristics, including immigration status and source of income (e.g., paying with a Housing Choice Voucher, formerly known as Section 8). Examples of fair housing violations include: 

  • A landlord who does not allow a disabled tenant to make reasonable accommodations to their unit.  

  • A lender has different terms and conditions for mortgage loans for households with children than for those without. 

  • A landlord who refuses to rent to an applicant because of their religion. 

However, a housing provider does have the right to deny housing to a person based on the person’s income, credit rating, or other information that is related to a person's ability and willingness to pay rent. 

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