The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was meant to safeguard the buyer/renter of a home from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the result of a civil liberties project against 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.
. The Act is implemented by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD examines problems of housing discrimination based upon race, color, faith, nationwide origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no cost to you, HUD will explore the complaint and attempt to resolve the matter with both celebrations. The procedure to file a problem is covered below.
NOTE: If you desire to discover more about your rights as a tenant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was initially published by the Kansas firm Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which assists individuals in Kansas with a range of customer issues.
Here is a video to demonstrate how the Fair Housing Act secures you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.
This video discuss discrimination in Idaho, but it also applies to Kansas and other states too. If you feel you have actually been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can make an application for help from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can discover how to file a problem straight with HUD by going here.
What Housing Is Covered?
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In some cases, the Act exempts owner-occupied structures without any more than 4 systems, single-family housing sold or rented without a broker, and housing operated by companies and personal clubs that limit tenancy to members.
What Is Prohibited?
In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap:
- Refuse to lease or offer housing
- Refuse to plan on housing.
- Make housing not available
- Deny a residence
- Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or leasing of a house
- Provide various housing services or centers
- Falsely reject that housing is open for evaluation, sale, or leasing
- For profit, persuade owners to offer or lease (blockbusting) or
- Deny anyone access to or subscription in a center or service (such as a service) related to the sale or rental of housing.
In Mortgage Lending: Nobody might take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (disability):
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan
- Refuse to give information about loans
- Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as different rate of interest, points, or charges
- Discriminate in evaluating residential or commercial property
- Refuse to buy a loan or
- Set various terms or conditions for acquiring a loan.
In Addition: It is prohibited for anybody to:
- Threaten, push, bully or interfere with anybody 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, nationwide origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar versus discriminatory marketing applies 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 impairment (including hearing, movement and visual problems, persistent alcohol addiction, chronic mental disorder, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that significantly limits several major life activities
- Have a record of such an impairment or
- Are considered as having such a disability
Your property manager may not:
- Refuse to let you make sensible modifications to your home or typical use areas, at your expense, if needed for the disabled individual to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the property owner may permit changes only if you concur to restore the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.).
- Refuse to make practical variations in rules, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped individual to use the housing.
Example: A structure with a 'no family pets' policy must enable a visually impaired occupant to keep a guide dog.
Example: Let's say a home complex uses renters adequate, unassigned parking. They need to honor a bid from a mobility-impaired renter for a reserved space near her house if it is needed to assure that she can have access to her home.
However, housing need not be made vacant to an individual who is a direct risk to the health or security of others or who now uses controlled substances.
Requirements for New Buildings
In structures that were prepared for first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and 4 or more units:
- Public and typical locations should be useful to persons with specials needs.
- Doors and corridors need to be wide enough for wheelchairs.
- All systems should have: - An accessible path into and through the system.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced bathroom walls to allow later fitting of grab bars and.
- Kitchens and restrooms that can be utilized by individuals in wheelchairs.
If a structure with 4 or more units has no elevator and were ready for first usage after March 13, 1991, these requirements apply to ground floor systems.
These must-haves for new buildings do not replace any more rigid standards in State or local law.
Housing Opportunities for Families
Unless a building or community makes the grade as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it may not discriminate versus families in which one or more kids under 18 deal with:
- A moms and dad.
- A person who has legal custody of the kid or kids or.
- The designee of the moms and dad or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's composed approval.
Familial status protection also uses to pregnant females and anyone securing legal custody of a child under 18.
Exemption: Housing for older persons is exempt from the ban versus familial status discrimination if:
- The HUD Secretary has chosen that it is specifically created for and occupied by senior individuals under a Federal, State or city government program or.
- It is occupied exclusively by persons 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 units. It should also stick to a policy that demonstrates an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.
A transition period permits citizens on or before September 13, 1988, to continue living in the housing, regardless of their age, without hindering the exemption.
If you think your rights have actually been violated ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional reasonable housing company is all set to assist you file a grievance, or you can request legal support from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to learn how to file a complaint.
What to Tell HUD
- Your name and address.
- The name and address of the individual your complaint protests (the participant).
- The address or other description of the housing included.
- A brief description of the supposed offense (the occasion that triggered you to think your rights were violated).
- The date of the alleged infraction
Where to Write or Call:
Send a letter to the fair housing workplace nearby you, or if you want, you might 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, fourth Floor,
Kansas City, KS 66101-2406
Telephone (913) 551-6958 or 1-800-743-5323
Fax (913) 551-6856
bloglines.com
TTY (913) 551-6972
E-mail: Complaints_office_07@hud.gov!.?.! Have a look at our pages on Resolving legal
barriers to work and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Check out Tenant problems and rights for Kansas occupants Plain text -No HTML tags enabled.- Lines and paragraphs break automatically.- Web page addresses and e-mail addresses become links immediately.