Every person who applies for housing has the right to be treated well. Keeping this in view, the primary reason behind the formulation of the Fair House Act was to advise lenders, landlords, tenants, and buyers without any discrimination. You might have many questions circling in your mind related to the act. In the following blog, we will be looking at the fact of why the Fair Housing Act is so important. Furthermore, we will also be giving the answers to the different questions related to it:
What is the Fair Housing Act?
It is a law created to stop discriminatory practices related to housing. The primary goal behind the creation of the act was to give every person the right to rent, purchase, or get a mortgage on a house without any discrimination.
Hence, no matter who you are and from where you belong, if you are looking for professional assistance regarding the rules and regulations of your local area related to property? You should get in touch with property management associates and professional property managers who are aware of all the important regulations and will help you to widen your knowledge to get rid of legal complications.
What Is Covered By the Fair Housing Act?
You might be wondering if the Fair Housing Act works. In the United States, the attempt for fair housing started near the mid-1800s, but the real change started during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. To address the discrimination, the Rumford Fair Housing Act 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were the two attempts made at that time. The groundbreaking legislation was the Fair Housing Act 1968, which was formulated one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
What Classes Do Act Protect?
You might be wondering if the Fair Housing Act works. Yes, it works and protects some specific classes. The Federal Fair Housing Act protects the following seven classes listed below:
- Disability
- Color
- Familial Status (This includes children under the age of 18 in a household and pregnant women)
- Race
- National Origin
- Religion
- Sex
Three-Part Goal of the Act
The Fair Housing Act regulations have a three-part goal as follows:
Home Selling and Renting:
Ending discrimination against the protected classes in any of the below-listed ways:
- Making the house unavailable or lying about the availability of housing.
- Refusal to rent a house, sell a house, or negotiate for housing.
- Denying the house.
- Developing different terms or conditions in home renting or selling.
- Offering different house amenities and accommodations.
- Blockbusting ( It is a method in which the homeowner is manipulated to sell or rent their property at a low price by convincing them in the wrong way that religious, racial, and minorities will be moving into the neighborhood. After this, they sell the properties at a high price.)
- Deny participation in housing-related services like multiple listing services.
Illegal Activities:
To stop discrimination against the protected classes in either of these ways:
- Threatening or interfering with anyone’s fair housing rights.
- Making discriminatory statements or advertising property that indicates a preference for a person with a certain background or exclusion of protected class. This is applicable to those who are exempt from the Fair Housing Act, such as owner-occupied four-unit homes.
Mortgage Lending:
Putting an end to discrimination against the protected classes in any of the following ways:
- Setting different conditions or terms regarding the loan, such as fees and interest rates.
- Refusal to make or purchase a mortgage loan.
- Different requirements for purchasing a loan.
- Discriminatory practices in property evaluation.
Who Needs to Follow The Act?
In some cases, the following mentioned groups might be exempt from the following act:
- Owner-occupied homes with not more than four units.
- A single-family house that is sold or rented without involving a broker.
- Members are only from private organizations or clubs.
Authority Enforcing the Fair House Act
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) enforces the Fair Housing Act. The two ways to do this are listed below:
Investigate Discrimination Claims: The individuals who feel their fair housing rights are violated under the Fair House Act can file a discrimination claim with HUD. Housing and Urban Development will investigate the truth behind the violations of the Fair Housing Act and will further decide on legal action if necessary.
Fair Housing Testers: HUD hires people to pose as tenants or home buyers to see if any discriminatory practices are used. Being a landlord, you need to be very careful about the things you say in person, on the phone, or in the rental ads.
Tips To Get Rid of Accusations of Discrimination
You need to ensure that you remain compliant with the Fair Housing Act:
1-The person should stick to the terms of the Fair Housing Act. But remember that you can rule out tenants depending on other criteria. You can legally deny a tenant housing according to their poor credit, not paying rent on time, or any other inappropriate information found when you are going to run a credit check on your tenants.
2-You need to be consistent in screening tenants and should have the standards for every tenant. You should be following the best practices for every prospective tenant who are applying to rent your property. You should get related information, referrals, documents, and fees. It is best to treat everyone with dignity and respect.
3-Let’s assume that everyone is working for the HUD or that they are trying to accuse you of discrimination. You need to be extremely careful about what you are going to say anything to people in person, on the phone, and in rental ads, as discussed above.
We hope now you have the answers to your questions regarding the Fair Housing Act. Keep one thing in mind: many states have additional protected classes, including student status, age, and more. One should check their local and state fair housing law to ensure that you are going to follow them along with the federal law. Moreover, if you want to know about the regulations of vacation property, then you should get the vacation property management Cape Cod services from expert property managers. To learn more about the property management services provided by Real Property Management Associates, call (508) 509-4485.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
