The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Liberty Act of 1968, was meant to protect the buyer/renter of a house from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil rights campaign versus housing discrimination in the United States. It was authorized, at the prompting of President Lyndon B. Johnson, only one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
. The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD takes a look at grievances of housing discrimination based upon race, color, religious beliefs, nationwide origin, sex, impairment, or familial status. At no charge to you, HUD will check out the complaint and attempt to resolve the matter with both celebrations. The process to submit a grievance is covered below.
NOTE: If you wish to find out more about your rights as an occupant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was initially released by the Kansas company Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which assists people in Kansas with a variety of consumer problems.
Here is a video to demonstrate how the Fair Housing Act safeguards you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.
This video discuss discrimination in Idaho, however it also uses to Kansas and other states too. If you feel you have actually been a victim of housing discrimination since of LGBTQ status, you can make an application for assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can learn how to file a grievance straight with HUD by going here.
What Housing Is Covered?
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In many cases, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or leased without a broker, and housing run by organizations and personal clubs that restrict tenancy to members.
What Is Prohibited?
In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap:
- Refuse to rent or offer housing
- Refuse to plan on housing.
- Make housing unavailable
- Deny a dwelling
- Set different terms, conditions or opportunities for sale or leasing of a dwelling
- Provide different housing services or facilities
- Falsely reject that housing is open for evaluation, sale, or rental
- For revenue, persuade owners to offer or rent (blockbusting) or
- Deny anyone access to or subscription in a facility or service (such as a numerous listing service) associated to the sale or leasing of housing.
In Mortgage Lending: Nobody may take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap (disability):
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan - Refuse to provide information about loans
- Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees
- Discriminate in appraising residential or commercial property
- Refuse to purchase a loan or
- Set different terms or conditions for acquiring a loan.
In Addition: It is unlawful for anybody to:
- Threaten, push, bully or disrupt anyone using a fair housing right or helping others who exercise that right - Advertise or make any declaration that suggests a cap or choice based on race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against prejudiced marketing uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
Additional Protection if You Have a Special needs
If you or somebody connected with you:
- Have a physical or psychological impairment (consisting of hearing, mobility and visual disabilities, persistent alcoholism, chronic mental disorder, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and psychological retardation) that considerably limits one or more significant life activities - Have a record of such a special needs or
- Are regarded as having such an impairment
Your property manager may not:
- Refuse to let you make practical modifications to your residence or typical use locations, at your cost, if required for the handicapped person to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the property manager may allow modifications only if you consent to bring back the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.). - Refuse to make reasonable variations in guidelines, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped individual to use the housing.
Example: A building with a 'no family pets' policy must allow an aesthetically impaired renter to keep a guide pet dog.
Example: Let's state an apartment or condo complex uses renters adequate, unassigned parking. They must honor a quote from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved space near her house if it is needed to guarantee that she can have access to her apartment or condo.
However, housing need not be made uninhabited to a person who is a direct hazard to the health or safety of others or who now utilizes controlled substances.
Requirements for New Buildings
In structures that were prepared for first use after March 13, 1991, and have an and 4 or more systems:
- Public and common areas should be helpful to individuals with specials needs. - Doors and hallways must be wide enough for wheelchairs.
- All systems must have: - An available route into and through the system.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced bathroom walls to permit later fitting of grab bars and.
- Bathroom and kitchens that can be utilized by individuals in wheelchairs.
If a structure with 4 or more systems has no elevator and were all set for very first usage after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground floor systems.
These must-haves for new structures do not replace any more stringent standards in State or regional law.
Housing Opportunities for Families
Unless a building or neighborhood makes the grade as housing for older individuals, it may not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it may not discriminate against households in which one or more kids under 18 live with:
- A parent. - A person who has legal custody of the child or children or.
- The designee of the moms and dad or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's written consent.
Familial status protection likewise applies to pregnant ladies and anybody securing legal custody of a child under 18.
Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the restriction versus familial status discrimination if:
- The HUD Secretary has decided that it is specifically developed for and occupied by senior individuals under a Federal, State or city government program or. - It is inhabited exclusively by persons who are 62 or older or.
- It houses at least one individual who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units. It should also follow a policy that shows an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.
A shift duration allows homeowners on or before September 13, 1988, to continue living in the housing, regardless of their age, without hindering the exemption.
If you believe your rights have been breached ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional reasonable housing firm is all set to assist you submit a problem, or you can make an application for legal assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to learn how to file a grievance.
What to Tell HUD
- Your name and address. - The name and address of the person your complaint protests (the respondent).
- The address or other description of the housing involved.
- A short description of the supposed violation (the event that triggered you to think your rights were violated).
- The date of the alleged violation
Where to Write or Call:
Send a letter to the fair housing office nearest you, or if you want, you might call that office directly.
Great Plains Office-- Fair Housing Hub
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Gateway Tower II, 400 State Avenue, Room 200, 4th Floor,
Kansas City, KS 66101-2406
Telephone (913) 551-6958 or 1-800-743-5323
Fax (913) 551-6856
TTY (913) 551-6972
E-mail: Complaints_office_07@hud.gov!.?.! Check out our pages on Resolving legal
barriers to employment and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Check out Tenant concerns and rights for Kansas renters Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break instantly.- Websites addresses and e-mail addresses become links instantly.