Fair Housing Laws

The Fair Housing Act (FHAct) is the federal law that protects renters and buyers from discrimination, and it’s enforced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

There are a number of classes protected by Federal law and in addition, state and local jurisdictions add more:

National Protected Classes

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • National origin
  • Sex
  • Familial status
  • Disability

State and Local protected classes:

  • Citizenship
  • Age
  • Veteran or military status
  • Genetic information
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Source of Income
  • Criminal history

The best way to avoid writing anything that can be discriminatory is to follow this golden rule:

Describe the building, not the people living in the building.

Since this is a real estate site run by a Realtor, fair housing guidelines will be strictly enforced when it comes to reviews. You won’t get in trouble, but your review won’t be posted if you write anything that is discriminatory.