Each year in April, realtors join the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing to mark Fair Housing Month.
President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark U.S. Fair Housing Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, in April 1968, which strives to ensure equal housing opportunity for all and prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or family status. In 2012, HUD published new regulations to ensure that its core housing programs are open to all eligible individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Fair Housing Month is an opportunity to recommit to the principle that fair housing is an essential part of everything we do,” said Denise Welsh, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. “Realtors play a vital role in ensuring fair housing for all and strive to make the American dream of homeownership accessible to all.”
According to Welsh, this year’s theme – “Fair Housing Equals Opportunity” – is designed to remind people that “everyone (should) have the same opportunity and rights when renting, owning or buying a home.”
Under the legislation, home sellers and landlords have a responsibility and a requirement:
• Not to discriminate in the sale, rental and financing of property.
• Not to deny that housing is available.
• Not to advertise that the property is available only to individuals of a certain race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
Home seekers have the right to expect:
• Housing in their price range made available to them without discrimination.
• Equal professional service.
• The opportunity to consider a broad range of housing choices.
• No discriminatory limitations on communities or locations of housing.
• No discrimination in the financing, appraising or insuring of housing.
• Reasonable accommodations in rules, practices and procedures for persons with disabilities.
• Nondiscriminatory terms and conditions for the sale, rental, financing or insuring of a dwelling.
• To be free from harassment or intimidation for exercising their fair housing rights.
Real estate professionals are prohibited by law from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. A request from the home seller or landlord to act in a discriminatory manner in the sale, lease or rental legally cannot be fulfilled by the real estate professional.
Those who suspect discrimination may file a complaint with the nearest HUD office or visit hud.gov.
The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors provided information for this article. For more information, email Rose Meily at [email protected] or visit silvar.org.
