The study of laws that protect individuals from discrimination in the buying, renting, or financing of housing, including redlining and discriminatory zoning.
Fair Housing Act: A federal law that prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.
Housing discrimination: Any act or practice that denies or limits housing opportunities based on a person's protected status.
Redlining: The practice of denying mortgage or insurance services to certain neighborhoods based on their racial makeup.
Racial steering: The practice of directing homebuyers toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race.
Disparate impact: An unintentional discriminatory effect that results from a seemingly neutral policy or practice.
Reasonable accommodations and modifications: Changes made to a housing policy or property to enable a person with a disability to use and enjoy the housing.
Testing: A method used to determine whether housing providers are engaging in discriminatory practices by sending out individuals with similar qualifications but different protected characteristics to inquire about available housing.
Retaliation: Actions taken against a person who reports discriminatory housing practices or participates in a fair housing investigation.
Housing discrimination complaint process: The steps involved in filing a complaint with a fair housing organization or government agency.
Affirmative marketing: A strategy used to attract and retain diverse residents within a community by actively marketing to underrepresented groups.
Race discrimination: Refusal to rent or sell a dwelling to persons on the basis of their race, color, or national origin.
Disability discrimination: Refusal to make a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, such as a wheelchair ramp or grab bars.
Familial status discrimination: Discriminating against families with children, or creating rules that unfairly restrict access to housing for families with children.
Sex discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to an individual based on their gender or sexual orientation.
Age discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell a dwelling to individuals over a certain age (typically 55 or older).
Source of income discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals solely because they receive government assistance or have a low income.
National origin discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their country of origin or their national identity.
Religious discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their religious beliefs or practices.
Sexual orientation discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Genetic information discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their genetic information or family medical history.
Language discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their language or accent.
Marital status discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their marital status.
Political affiliation discrimination: Refusing to rent or sell housing to individuals based on their political beliefs or affiliations.
Retaliation: Taking adverse actions against individuals who have complained about discrimination or assisted others who have complained about discrimination in housing.