Choosing to rent is a great option if you’re looking for a new place to live – it’s easier to rent an apartment than it is to buy a house, you don’t have to worry about property taxes and it’s much easier move to a new place if you are not ready to settle down. If you’re looking for a place to rent, you may have heard about this thing called “housing discrimination.” What is that, anyway?
What is housing discrimination?
Housing discrimination is when you are treated differently when trying to rent, buy or sell a home based on certain factors. These factors include:
- Race
- Sex
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Religion
- Class
- Familial status
- Disability
What counts as discrimination?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone is illegally discriminating against you. Landlords have a right to their opinions just like everyone else, but they shouldn’t let it affect their decisions when it comes to renting an apartment. It’s illegal for a landlord to use one of the items in the bullet list above to:
- Refuse to rent to you
- Give you different accommodations compared to everyone else
- Make you use other different facilities
- Make you agree to different rental terms
- Deny that an apartment is available for rent
Visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Development website for a full list.
Housing discrimination has been illegal for over fifty years, but it still happens in the United States. Thankfully, we here at Boundless Management abide by the law and treat all renters equally without discrimination.
