Housing Discrimination

Housing discrimination is unfair treatment in renting, buying, financing, or living in a home because of a protected trait such as race, religion, sex, disability, or family status. It is a civil rights issue that touches landlords, sellers, lenders, and insurers. Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, state agencies, and courts are the main institutions involved.

People usually bring questions about what a landlord or seller may ask and refuse. They ask how fair housing law developed, how a person can tell whether treatment was discriminatory, and where to file a complaint. They also ask how these protections apply to people with disabilities and to families with children.