realtor.com
The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was intended to safeguard the buyer/renter of a dwelling from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil liberties project versus housing discrimination in the United States. It was authorized, at the urging of President Lyndon B. Johnson, only 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 takes a look at problems of housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, impairment, or familial status. At no charge to you, HUD will check out the grievance and try to solve the matter with both celebrations. The procedure to submit a complaint is covered listed below.

NOTE: If you wish to find out more about your rights as a renter in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was initially published by the Kansas firm Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which assists people in Kansas with a range of consumer concerns.

Here is a video to show how the Fair Housing Act secures you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.

This video speak about discrimination in Idaho, however it likewise applies to Kansas and other states too. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can get help from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can find out how to file a problem directly with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In some cases, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings without any more than four systems, single-family housing offered or rented without a broker, and housing operated by companies and personal clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to rent or offer housing

• Refuse to plan on housing.
• Make housing not available
• Deny a dwelling
• Set different terms, conditions or benefits for sale or rental of a residence
• Provide various housing services or facilities
• Falsely deny that housing is open for examination, sale, or leasing
• For revenue, encourage owners to offer or lease (blockbusting) or
• Deny anybody access to or subscription in a facility or service (such as a several listing service) related to the sale or leasing of housing.
  
  In Mortgage Lending: Nobody might take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap (impairment):
  
  - Refuse to make a mortgage loan
• Refuse to offer details about loans
• Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as various rates of interest, points, or costs
• Discriminate in appraising residential or commercial property
• Refuse to purchase a loan or
• Set different terms or conditions for acquiring a loan.
  
  In Addition: It is illegal for anyone to:
  
  - Threaten, push, bully or interfere with anybody applying a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right
• Advertise or make any statement that indicates a cap or choice based upon race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against inequitable marketing uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
  
  Additional Protection if You Have an Impairment
  
  If you or someone linked with you:
  
  - Have a physical or psychological impairment (including hearing, mobility and visual disabilities, chronic alcohol addiction, chronic psychological disease, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that significantly restricts several major life activities
• Have a record of such a disability or
• Are considered as having such a disability
  
  Your property owner might not:
  
  - Refuse to let you make realistic modifications to your house or common use locations, at your cost, if needed for the disabled individual to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the property owner may allow modifications just if you consent to bring back the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.).
• Refuse to make practical variations in rules, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped person to use the housing.
  
  Example: A building with a 'no family pets' policy need to enable a visually impaired occupant to keep a guide pet dog.
  
  Example: Let's state an apartment complex provides renters adequate, unassigned parking. They must honor a bid from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved space near her apartment or condo if it is needed to that she can have access to her apartment or condo.
  
  However, housing need not be made vacant to an individual who is a direct threat to the health or security of others or who now uses controlled substances.
  
  Requirements for New Buildings
  
  In structures that were prepared for very first usage after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:
  
  - Public and common locations need to be useful to persons with impairments.
• Doors and hallways should be wide enough for wheelchairs.
• All units should have: - An available route into and through the unit.
• Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
• Reinforced bathroom walls to permit later fitting of grab bars and.
• Kitchens and bathrooms that can be utilized by individuals in wheelchairs.
  
  If a building with four or more systems has no elevator and were all set for very first usage after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground floor systems.
  
  These must-haves for brand-new structures do not replace any more rigid requirements in State or local law.
  
  Housing Opportunities for Families
  
  Unless a building or community makes the grade as housing for older individuals, it may not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it might not victimize families in which several children under 18 deal with:
  
  - A moms and dad.
• An individual who has legal custody of the kid or children or.
• The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the parent or custodian's written permission.
  
  Familial status protection likewise uses to pregnant females and anybody protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.
  
  Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the ban against familial status discrimination if:
  
  - The HUD Secretary has actually chosen that it is specially created for and occupied by senior persons under a Federal, State or city government program or.
• It is occupied entirely by individuals 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 needs to likewise comply with a policy that shows an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.
  
  A shift period allows homeowners on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, despite their age, without interfering with the exemption.
  
  If you think your rights have actually been broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional fair housing firm is all set to assist you file a complaint, or you can get legal support from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to discover how to submit a grievance.
  
  What to Tell HUD
  
  - Your name and address.
• The name and address of the person your problem protests (the respondent).
• The address or other description of the housing involved.
• A short description of the supposed offense (the event that caused you to believe your rights were violated).
• The date of the supposed violation
  
  Where to Write or Call:
  
  Send a letter to the fair housing office closest you, or if you want, you might 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
  
  TTY (913) 551-6972
  
  E-mail: Complaints_office_07@hud.gov!.?.! Check out our pages on Resolving legal
  barriers to work and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Read about Tenant issues and rights for Kansas occupants Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break instantly.- Web page addresses and e-mail addresses become links automatically.