Fair Housing Rights: Know Your Protections as a Renter

The Fair Housing Act protects renters and homebuyers from discrimination. Understanding your rights can help you recognize and fight illegal practices.

Protected Classes

Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on:

• Race or color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation)
• Familial status (having children)
• Disability

Disability Accommodations

Landlords must provide reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities. This may include allowing service animals even with no-pet policies, reserved parking, or modifications to the unit. Accommodations must be requested but cannot be refused if reasonable.

Filing a Complaint

If you experience housing discrimination, file a complaint with HUD at HUD.gov/fairhousing or hud.gov/fairhousing. Many states and cities have additional protections and enforcement agencies.

What the Fair Housing Act Protects

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in housing based on seven protected characteristics: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. The law applies to nearly all types of housing, including apartments, houses, condominiums, mobile homes, and vacant land. It covers a broad range of housing-related activities, meaning it is illegal to discriminate in the sale, rental, financing, or advertising of housing. Landlords cannot refuse to rent to you, charge you higher rent, impose different terms or conditions, or provide different services based on any protected characteristic. They also cannot steer you toward or away from certain neighborhoods or buildings, falsely claim that a unit is unavailable, or retaliate against you for exercising your fair housing rights. Many state and local laws provide additional protections beyond the federal act, covering characteristics such as source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, and veteran status.

Disability Rights in Housing

The Fair Housing Act provides especially strong protections for people with disabilities. Landlords are required to make reasonable accommodations in their rules, policies, and services to give people with disabilities equal access to housing. For example, a landlord with a no-pets policy must allow a tenant with a disability to keep an assistance animal if the animal is needed because of the disability. Landlords must also allow tenants with disabilities to make reasonable modifications to their units at the tenant’s expense, such as installing grab bars in the bathroom, widening doorways, or adding a ramp. For buildings built after March 1991 with four or more units, the Fair Housing Act requires certain accessibility features, including accessible common areas, doors wide enough for wheelchairs, accessible routes into and through the unit, reinforced bathroom walls for grab bar installation, and accessible light switches and thermostats.

Recognizing Housing Discrimination

Housing discrimination is not always obvious. While some instances are blatant, such as a landlord telling you directly that they do not rent to families with children, many forms of discrimination are more subtle. Warning signs include a landlord suddenly claiming a unit is no longer available after meeting you in person, being quoted a higher rent than what was advertised, being told about additional requirements that were not mentioned to other applicants, receiving different lease terms than other tenants, or being shown only units in certain parts of a building or complex. Discrimination can also occur in the lending process, such as being offered less favorable mortgage terms, being steered toward certain loan products, or having your application denied despite strong qualifications. If something feels wrong during your housing search or tenancy, trust your instincts and keep detailed records of every interaction, including dates, times, names, and what was said.

How to File a Fair Housing Complaint

If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, you have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, commonly known as HUD. You can file online at hud.gov, by calling HUD’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-669-9777, or by visiting your nearest HUD office. You can also file a complaint with your state or local fair housing agency, many of which have enforcement powers equivalent to HUD’s. Complaints must generally be filed within one year of the discriminatory act. After receiving your complaint, HUD or the local agency will investigate by interviewing witnesses, reviewing documents, and gathering evidence. If they find reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, the case may be resolved through a conciliation agreement or referred for a hearing or to federal court. You also have the right to file a lawsuit in federal court within two years of the discrimination, and some fair housing organizations provide free legal representation to victims of housing discrimination.

What the Fair Housing Act Protects

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in housing based on seven protected characteristics: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. The law applies to nearly all types of housing, including apartments, houses, condominiums, mobile homes, and vacant land. It covers a broad range of housing-related activities, meaning it is illegal to discriminate in the sale, rental, financing, or advertising of housing. Landlords cannot refuse to rent to you, charge you higher rent, impose different terms or conditions, or provide different services based on any protected characteristic. They also cannot steer you toward or away from certain neighborhoods or buildings, falsely claim that a unit is unavailable, or retaliate against you for exercising your fair housing rights. Many state and local laws provide additional protections beyond the federal act, covering characteristics such as source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, and veteran status.

Disability Rights in Housing

The Fair Housing Act provides especially strong protections for people with disabilities. Landlords are required to make reasonable accommodations in their rules, policies, and services to give people with disabilities equal access to housing. For example, a landlord with a no-pets policy must allow a tenant with a disability to keep an assistance animal if the animal is needed because of the disability. Landlords must also allow tenants with disabilities to make reasonable modifications to their units at the tenant’s expense, such as installing grab bars in the bathroom, widening doorways, or adding a ramp. For buildings built after March 1991 with four or more units, the Fair Housing Act requires certain accessibility features, including accessible common areas, doors wide enough for wheelchairs, accessible routes into and through the unit, reinforced bathroom walls for grab bar installation, and accessible light switches and thermostats.

Recognizing Housing Discrimination

Housing discrimination is not always obvious. While some instances are blatant, such as a landlord telling you directly that they do not rent to families with children, many forms of discrimination are more subtle. Warning signs include a landlord suddenly claiming a unit is no longer available after meeting you in person, being quoted a higher rent than what was advertised, being told about additional requirements that were not mentioned to other applicants, receiving different lease terms than other tenants, or being shown only units in certain parts of a building or complex. Discrimination can also occur in the lending process, such as being offered less favorable mortgage terms, being steered toward certain loan products, or having your application denied despite strong qualifications. If something feels wrong during your housing search or tenancy, trust your instincts and keep detailed records of every interaction, including dates, times, names, and what was said.

How to File a Fair Housing Complaint

If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, you have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, commonly known as HUD. You can file online at hud.gov, by calling HUD’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-669-9777, or by visiting your nearest HUD office. You can also file a complaint with your state or local fair housing agency, many of which have enforcement powers equivalent to HUD’s. Complaints must generally be filed within one year of the discriminatory act. After receiving your complaint, HUD or the local agency will investigate by interviewing witnesses, reviewing documents, and gathering evidence. If they find reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, the case may be resolved through a conciliation agreement or referred for a hearing or to federal court. You also have the right to file a lawsuit in federal court within two years of the discrimination, and some fair housing organizations provide free legal representation to victims of housing discrimination.