Landlord and Tenant

42 U.S. Code Chapter 45 - Fair Housing

• SUBCHAPTER I—GENERALLY (§ )
• SUBCHAPTER II—PREVENTION OF INTIMIDATION (§ )

Source:  Legal Information Institution (LII) Cornell University Law School

Housing Opportunities for Families

Unless a building or community qualifies as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based on familial status.  That is, it may not discriminate against families in which one or more children under 18 live with:

• A parent
• A person who has legal custody of the child or children or
• The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the parent or custodian's written permission.

Familial status protection also applies to pregnant women and anyone securing legal custody of a child under 18.

Exemption:  Housing for older persons is exempt from the prohibition against familial status discrimination if:

• The HUD Secretary has determined that is specifically designed for and occupied by elderly persons under a Federal, State or local government program or
• It is occupied solely by persons who are 62 or older or
• It houses at least one person who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units, and adheres to a policy that demonstrates an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.

A transition period permits residents on or before September 13, 1988, to continue living in the housing, regardless of their age, without interfering with the exemption.

Source:  HUD.GOV

Question 1: I believe that I may have experienced discrimination when I was looking for housing. How can I file a complaint?

Answer: You can file a complaint right online! Or you can call the Housing Discrimination Hotline: (800) 669-9777.

Question 2: How do I report possible fraud in a HUD program?

Answer: If you are aware of fraud, waste, and abuse in HUD programs and operations, report it to HUD's Hotline! You can file a complaint online or via phone, fax, or mail.

Source:  U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

Housing and Civil Enforcement, section of the United States Department of Justice.

Source:  The United States Dept. of Justice

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