Fair Housing It

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Fair Housing Its Your Right
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What is Fair Housing?

• Fair housing is your right under the law to
  choose freely and compete equally for housing,
  without regard to race, color, ancestry, national
  origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, family
  status, marital status, handicap or age, and, to
  that end, to prohibit discrimination in housing
  by any person.

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What is Housing Discrimination?

• Intentional discrimination, in which property
  owners, landlords or homeowner associations try
  to keep people of color, families with children,
  and the disabled from living where they want.

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What is Prohibited?

• In the Sale and Rental of Housing
• No one may take any of the following actions
  based on race, color, national origin, religion,
  sex, familial status or handicap
• Refuse to rent or sell housing
• Refuse to negotiate for housing
• Make housing unavailable
• Deny a dwelling
• Set different terms, conditions or privileges for
  sale or rental of a dwelling
• Provide different housing services or facilities
• Falsely deny that housing is available for
  inspection, sale, or rental
• For profit, persuade owners to sell or rent
  (blockbusting) or
• Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility
  or service (such as a multiple listing service)
  related to the sale or rental of housing.

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What is Prohibited? (cont)

• In Mortgage Lending
• No one may take any of the following actions
  based on race, color, national origin, religion,
  sex, familial status or handicap (disability)
• Refuse to make a mortgage loan
• Refuse to provide information regarding loans
• Impose different terms or conditions on a loan,
  such as different interest rates, points, or fees
  
• Discriminate in appraising property
• Refuse to purchase a loan or
• Set different terms or conditions for purchasing
  a loan.

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What is Prohibited? (cont)

• In addition, it is illegal for anyone to
• Threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with
  anyone exercising a fair housing right or
  assisting others who exercise that right
• Advertise or make any statement that indicates a
  limitation or preference based on race, color,
  national origin, religion, sex, familial status,
  or handicap. This prohibition against
  discriminatory advertising applies to
  single-family and owner-occupied housing that is
  otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

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Landlord Rights

• Screen people based on their ability to meet
  objective business qualifications
• Request completed rental application
• Request job, resident, credit, banking, former
  landlord and personal references
• Require reasonable income in relation to the rent
  charged and
• Require residents to comply with reasonable
  occupancy rules and conditions
• Require documentation of the necessity for
  reserved parking or a service or therapy animal
• Require you to pay for modifications to your
  dwelling and require you to return the unit to
  its original state when you move out

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Landlord Rights (cont)

• Require the names of all people who will be
  living in the unit and the ages of anyone named
  as a lessee
• Require that children and pets-including service
  animals be properly supervised when outside the
  unit
• Require a reasonable equable security deposit
• Require that all tenants-including
  children-respect the right of other tenants and
  comply with all community regulations
• Rent to the best qualified tenant
• Refuse to rent to a tenant who would pose a
  threat to other tenants because of illegal drug
  abuse or severe mental illness
• Refuse to rent to tenants engaged in illegal
  activity

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What to Do if you Experience Discrimination

• If you believe your rights have been violated,
  please contact
• HUD Fair Housing Enforcement Center
• 1-800-440-8091
• The federal Fair Housing Act gives the Department
  of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD) the power
  to investigate and take legal action to fight
  housing discrimination.

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Other Resources

• Florida Commission on Human Relations
• 1-850-488-7082
• Leon County Housing Services
• 850-606-1900

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Fair Housing Its Your Right