Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are in the process of renting or buying a home. The law prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status and disability.

The Fair Housing Act applies to most housing options, including military installation housing. In fact, many states have fair housing laws that provide even greater protections.

The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers to:

• Make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. A property owner, however, is not required to make changes that would create an undue financial or administrative burden.
• Allow people with disabilities to make reasonable modifications. Property owners must allow residents to make reasonable changes to their units if those changes are necessary for the tenant to use the unit fully.

The Fair Housing Act also makes it illegal — based on your or a family member’s disability — to:

• Refuse to rent a dwelling or to accept a legitimate offer
• Evict someone
• Use different applications or criteria
• Segregate people into specific units or areas
• Ask if anyone has a disability
• Refuse to make or allow reasonable modifications or accommodations

If you live in privatized housing on a military installation, your property managers are required — at no cost to you — to make reasonable accommodations that abide by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For your specific state Fair Housing laws, contact your public housing agency. If you believe your rights may have been violated, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. You can also file a lawsuit in federal court within two years. However, deadlines for state court actions vary.

Service members and their families can also receive free legal assistance regarding reasonable housing accommodations at their local military legal assistance office.

Visit HUD FAIR HOUSING Website