Information on the Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act is a US legislation passed in1968, which is based on the earlier Civil Rights Act of 1964. This legislation was structured to explain clearly the kinds of housing biases that are illegal and to set out clear sanctions to anyone who violates this act. Since 1968, it has been updated several times to protect more groups under the law.
The Fair Housing Act comes from an undertaking to remove discrimination in buying or renting homes and other home-related actions like advertising, lending, zoning and homeowner's insurance.
The 1968 Fair Housing Law protects people who are seeking for homes from being discriminated from either a seller or a landlord. It forbids discrimination based on color, race, sex, religion, familial status, national origin and disability. The coverage of the act includes private housing, Federal assisted housing and the State and Local government housing.
It is unlawful to discriminate any feature of renting or selling to deny a renter or buyer due to his or her disability and other reasons. The Fair Housing Act requires housing facilities owners to make reasonable exceptions in their operations and policies to allow people with disability equal housing opportunities.
When dealing with Rental or Sale Housing, the act implies that nobody should refuse to rent out or sell a house, deny housing availability or deny access to facility or membership based on color, race, religion, sex and disability.
When it comes to mortgage lending, the Fair Housing Act clearly states that no one should deny or refuse a mortgage loan, refuse to provide loan information and impose different terms such as fees and interest rates in home appraisal to a person based on his or her religion, sex, race, familial status and disability.
Furthermore, it is also considered illegal to coerce, threaten, intimidate or interfere anyone who exercise or help others exercise this right. It also prohibits from advertising or making statements that suggests an inclination on color, race, sex, religion or disability. This is applicable to single-family homes or owner-occupied homes, which are otherwise exempted from this Act.
If a person has physical or mental disability like hearing, visual and mobility impairments, mental illness, chronic alcoholism, mental retardation and AIDS related problems, a landlord may not refuse to allow reasonable changes in the dwelling or common corms to make it comfortable place for the person.
A landlord is prohibited from refusing disabled persons rational accommodations in policies, rules, services or practices if it is necessary for the person to use the house. Nevertheless, housing should be denied to a person who is a direct threat to the safety of other people, such as a person or persons using prohibited drugs.
A person who will file a complaint against a landlord or someone for that matter, the HUD should ascertain that discrimination really occurs and inform the person. The case will then be heard in an administrative hearing unless the respondent would choose to have it heard in the Federal District court. Whichever, there will be no expenses on the part of the complainant.

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