Housing Are You Renting and Managing Property the
Fair Housing Way?
If you're a property manager or owner, here's what you need to know to make sure you are complaint with Fair Housing laws.
What is Housing Discrimination?
Housing discrimination occurs when anyone involved with housing - including
property managers, owners and mobile home parks - treat home seekers/ renters differently because of a protected category.
Under federal and state Fair Housing laws, it is illegal for anyone involved
with the sale or rental of housing including owners, property managers and staff, real estate agents, HOAs, shelters, banks, and mobile home parks to:
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refuse to rent or sell a home
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charge higher rent or security deposit
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steer people to or from homes in certain neighborhoods or buildings
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evict a tenant
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apply different rules or criteria, or otherwise
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treat people differently
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harass or threaten a housing seeker, their friends, and family members
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...because of one of the following protected characteristics:
Federally Protected Classes:
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Race
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Color
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National origin
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Religion
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Sex
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Disability
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Familial status*
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California protects all the same federal classes but offers additional classes of protection.
California Protected Classes:
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Veteran or Military Status
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Ancestry
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Gender Identity & Expression
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Source of Income**
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Sexual Orientation
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Marital Status
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Immigration Status
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Primary Language
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Citizenship
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Arbitrary Characteristics​ (that have no relation to one's ability to be a good tenant.)
*Family with children under the age of 18
**Section 8/ Federal, State, or Local Public Assistance & Housing Subsidies
Types of Housing Discrimination
​​What is Retaliation?
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Tenants have a right to exercise their renter’s rights, including their fair housing rights. It is illegal for a property manager or owner to harass, attempt to evict, raise the rent, or take any other kind of retaliatory action because a tenant has done any of the following:
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i. Filed a fair housing discrimination complaint.
ii. Contacted a fair housing agency, like Project Sentinel, for help.
iii. Requested a maintenance repair.
iv. Complained to the landlord about illegal or unsafe living conditions
v. Reported to an appropriate agency such as a local code enforcement agency about illegal or unsafe living conditions.
Contact Project Sentinel for Assistance
​Project Sentinel is a nonprofit fair housing agency that provides education and counseling to community members, housing providers, and tenants about the fair housing laws. We also investigate complaints and advocate for those who have experienced housing discrimination.
Want to learn more?
Reach out to a local fair housing agency
like Project Sentinel for help!