The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Liberty Act of 1968, was planned to secure the buyer/renter of a house from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the result of a civil rights project against housing discrimination in the United States. It was authorized, at the advising of President Lyndon B. Johnson, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
. The Act is imposed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD examines complaints of housing discrimination based on race, color, religious beliefs, nationwide origin, sex, special needs, or familial status. At no expense to you, HUD will check out the complaint and attempt to fix the matter with both celebrations. The process to submit a grievance is covered listed below.
NOTE: If you wish to discover more about your rights as an occupant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was originally published by the Kansas firm Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which helps individuals in Kansas with a variety of customer concerns.
Here is a video to demonstrate how the Fair Housing Act protects you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.
This video speak about discrimination in Idaho, but it also applies to Kansas and other states also. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can get assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can find out how to submit a grievance directly with HUD by going here.
What Housing Is Covered?
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In many cases, the Act excuses owner-occupied structures with no more than four units, single-family housing offered or leased without a broker, and housing run by companies and personal 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, religion, sex, familial status or handicap:
- Refuse to rent or offer housing
- Refuse to imagine housing.
- Make housing not available
- Deny a house
- Set different terms, conditions or opportunities for sale or rental of a house
- Provide different housing services or facilities
- Falsely deny that housing is open for assessment, sale, or leasing
- For revenue, convince owners to sell or lease (blockbusting) or
- Deny anybody access to or membership in a facility or service (such as a multiple listing service) related to the sale or rental of housing.
In Mortgage Lending: Nobody may take any of the following actions based on race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, or handicap (special needs):
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan
- Refuse to offer details 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 purchase a loan or
- Set different terms or conditions for buying a loan.
In Addition: It is prohibited for anybody to:
- Threaten, coerce, bully or interfere with anyone applying a reasonable housing right or assisting others who work out that right
- Advertise or make any statement that shows a cap or choice based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against discriminatory advertising uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
Additional Protection if You Have a Special needs
If you or somebody gotten in touch with you:
- Have a physical or mental disability (including hearing, mobility and visual disabilities, persistent alcohol addiction, persistent mental disorder, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and psychological retardation) that significantly limits one or more significant life activities
- Have a record of such a special needs or
- Are concerned as having such a disability
Your property owner may not:
- Refuse to let you make sensible changes to your home or typical use locations, at your cost, if needed for the handicapped person to use the housing. (Where rational, the property owner might allow modifications just if you consent to bring back the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.).
- Refuse to make sensible variations in rules, policies, practices or services if required for the disabled person to use the housing.
Example: A structure with a 'no animals' policy should enable an aesthetically impaired tenant to keep a guide dog.
Example: Let's say an apartment or condo complex uses occupants ample, unassigned parking. They must honor a bid from a mobility-impaired occupant for a reserved area near her apartment if it is required to assure that she can have access to her home.
However, housing need not be made vacant to an individual who is a direct threat to the health or safety of others or who now utilizes controlled substances.
Requirements for New Buildings
In buildings that were prepared for first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:
- Public and typical areas should come in handy to persons with impairments.
- Doors and hallways must be wide enough for wheelchairs.
- All systems should have: - An available route into and through the system.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced restroom walls to permit later fitting of grab bars and.
- Bathroom and kitchens that can be utilized by people in wheelchairs.
If a building with 4 or more systems has no elevator and were prepared for very first use after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground flooring units.
These must-haves for new buildings do not replace any more rigid standards in State or regional law.
Housing Opportunities for Families
Unless a structure or community qualifies as housing for older persons, it might not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it may not discriminate versus households in which several kids under 18 deal with:
- A parent.
- 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 written authorization.
Familial status defense likewise uses to pregnant ladies and anybody protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.
Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the restriction against familial status discrimination if:
- The HUD Secretary has actually chosen that it is specially created for and occupied by seniors under a Federal, State or city government program or.
- It is occupied entirely by persons who are 62 or older or.
- It houses a minimum of a single person who is 55 or older in a minimum of 80 percent of the occupied units. It must likewise follow a policy that shows an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.
A shift duration allows citizens on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, regardless of their age, without disrupting the exemption.
If you think your rights have been violated ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or local fair housing agency is prepared to help you submit a grievance, or you can get legal assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to learn how to file a grievance.
What to Tell HUD
- Your name and address.
- The name and address of the individual your complaint is versus (the participant).
- The address or other description of the housing included.
- A short description of the supposed infraction (the occasion that caused you to think your rights were broken).
- The date of the supposed violation
Where to Write or Call:
Send a letter to the reasonable housing office nearest you, or if you wish, you may call that office 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
kayak.com
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 problems and rights for Kansas occupants Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break immediately.- Web page addresses and e-mail addresses develop into links instantly.prlog.org