Fair Housing Act Information

There used to be a lot of discrimination in the real estate world during the sixties and Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968. Its purpose was to protect all American citizens from buying or renting a house or an apartment against any kind of discrimination. This Act has been amended from time to time and all landlords and tenants have to abide by this act else legal charges can be brought against them. Prior to this law landlords would discriminate and refuse to rent or sell their property. With the enactment of this law people across the United States got the governments protection and could not be discriminated when buying or renting a house. They not only got protection from the landlords but from neighbors also. So as long as one could afford a place they were free to buy it or rent it without any discrimination. In 1988 fair housing act was amended and allowed people with disabilities and families with children not to be discriminated.

This allowed everyone to move into neighborhoods where they were not allowed to move in to before this act was passed. This act also gives protection to people who are handicapped. For example if there is an apartment block which does not allow pets a person who has a sight handicap can keep a dog in the apartment. Asthma and fair housing act also protects people who are asthmatic and they can complain to the landlord of an apartment block not to allow smokers to rent an apartment as their smoking and second hand smoke causes asthmatic attacks.

The fair housing act design manual is a guideline that estate developers have to abide by in the construction of any property that they will be renting. For example in an apartment block the passageways have to be wide enough so that a person on a wheelchair can easily use it and all entranceways and lifts should be wide enough to allow the entry of wheelchairs.

The fair housing act rental qualifications is a document which clearly spells out all the conditions for rental of any housing and is a guideline for both the landlords and the tenants as well. Similarly the fair housing act handbook is a guideline for lawyers and attorneys to use in case of any disputes between landlords and tenants or in the sale and purchase of any property.

In case of any dispute the person will approach HUD (Housing and Urban Development) who will conduct the investigations and establish if the Fair Housing Act has been violated and if it finds that the Act has been violated it will try to get the dispute resolved if the dispute is not resolved it will ask the Attorney General to file a case against the violator of the act.

Landlords can discriminate from renting a property based on a clients income or bad credit history other then that they cannot do any discrimination. In case of any lawsuit which involves a violation of the fair housing act the IRS fair housing act is the guideline if a complaint needs to be filed with the IRS. This applies especially in cases of any lawsuits that involve LIHC (Low Income Housing Community) property.

The federal fair housing act enables anyone regardless of any discrimination to be able to live anywhere that the person can afford and landlords cannot do any discrimination other then based on the person’s ability to pay the rent and in case of a foreigner, the validity of the visa to cover the period for which the person is wanting to rent a place.