The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Liberty Act of 1968, was intended to protect the buyer/renter of a house from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil liberties 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.
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. The Act is implemented by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD analyzes problems of housing discrimination based upon race, color, faith, nationwide origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no expense to you, HUD will explore the grievance and try to solve the matter with both parties. The procedure to submit a problem is covered below.
NOTE: If you want to discover more about your rights as a tenant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was originally released by the Kansas agency Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which assists individuals in Kansas with a variety of consumer concerns.
Here is a video to show how the Fair Housing Act secures you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.
This video speak about discrimination in Idaho, but it also uses to Kansas and other states as well. 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 discover how to submit a problem straight with HUD by going here.
What Housing Is Covered?
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing Sometimes, the Act excuses owner-occupied structures with no more than 4 systems, single-family housing offered or rented without a broker, and housing run by organizations and private clubs that limit tenancy to members.
What Is Prohibited?
In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody might take any of the following actions based on race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap:
- Refuse to rent or sell housing
- Refuse to imagine housing.
- Make housing not available
- Deny a home
- Set various terms, conditions or benefits for sale or leasing of a home
- Provide different housing services or centers
- Falsely reject that housing is open for assessment, sale, or rental
- For earnings, convince owners to offer or rent (blockbusting) or
- Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility or service (such as a numerous listing service) related to the sale or rental of housing.
In Mortgage Lending: No one might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap (impairment):
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan - Refuse to give details about loans
- Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different rate of interest, points, or costs
- Discriminate in assessing residential or commercial property
- Refuse to purchase a loan or
- Set various terms or conditions for buying a loan.
In Addition: It is illegal for anyone to:
- Threaten, persuade, bully or interfere with anyone using a reasonable housing right or assisting others who exercise that right - Advertise or make any statement that shows a cap or preference based on race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against inequitable marketing uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
Additional Protection if You Have a Disability
If you or someone gotten in touch with you:
- Have a physical or mental special needs (including hearing, movement and visual disabilities, persistent alcohol addiction, persistent psychological disease, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that considerably limits several major life activities - Have a record of such a special needs or
- Are regarded as having such a disability
Your property manager might not:
- Refuse to let you make sensible changes to your house or common use areas, at your cost, if needed for the handicapped person to utilize the housing. (Where reasonable, the might allow modifications just if you accept bring back the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.). - Refuse to make sensible variations in guidelines, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped individual to use the housing.
Example: A structure with a 'no pets' policy need to permit a visually impaired renter to keep a guide pet.
Example: Let's say a house complex offers occupants ample, unassigned parking. They must honor a quote from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved space near her apartment if it is needed to assure that she can have access to her apartment or condo.
However, housing need not be made vacant to a person who is a direct danger to the health or safety of others or who now utilizes controlled substances.
Requirements for New Buildings
In buildings that were all set for first usage after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and 4 or more systems:
- Public and common areas should be convenient to persons with disabilities. - Doors and hallways need to be broad enough for wheelchairs.
- All units must have: - An accessible path into and through the unit.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced restroom walls to enable later fitting of grab bars and.
- Bathroom and kitchens that can be used by people in wheelchairs.
If a building with four or more units has no elevator and were all set for first use after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground floor units.
These must-haves for new buildings do not change any more stringent requirements in State or regional law.
Housing Opportunities for Families
Unless a building or neighborhood qualifies as housing for older persons, it might not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it may not victimize households in which one or more kids under 18 deal with:
- A moms and dad. - A person who has legal custody of the kid or children or.
- The designee of the moms and dad or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's composed authorization.
Familial status defense likewise applies to pregnant women and anyone protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.
Exemption: Housing for older persons is exempt from the restriction against familial status discrimination if:
- The HUD Secretary has actually decided that it is specifically designed for and occupied by seniors under a Federal, State or local federal government program or. - It is occupied solely by individuals who are 62 or older or.
- It houses a minimum of someone who is 55 or older in a minimum of 80 percent of the occupied systems. It needs to likewise adhere to a policy that demonstrates an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.
A shift period permits citizens on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, no matter their age, without interfering with the exemption.
If you think your rights have been breached ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional fair housing agency is prepared to help you file a problem, or you can make an application for legal help from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go on the internet to HUD to discover how to submit a complaint.
What to Tell HUD
- Your name and address. - The name and address of the person your problem is against (the respondent).
- The address or other description of the housing involved.
- A brief description of the alleged violation (the occasion that triggered you to think your rights were breached).
- The date of the alleged violation
Where to Write or Call:
Send a letter to the fair housing workplace closest you, or if you want, you may call that workplace straight.
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. Read about Tenant concerns and rights for Kansas renters Plain text -No HTML tags enabled.- Lines and paragraphs break instantly.- Web page addresses and email addresses become links instantly.