Fair Housing Help: Single People and Housing Discrimination

If you're unmarried and looking for an apartment, you might wonder if there are apartment communities out there that limit residency to single folks. You might also be curious as to whether the fact that you're single gives you protection against housing discrimination.

You may find the answers in my recent article on single people and fair housing.

Discrimination Against Unmarried Couples?

Can a landlord legally discriminate against two prospective tenants because they're not married? Not if they're in Michigan.

Michigan is one of a handful of states that protect against marital status discrimination in housing. According to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan (FHC), testers posing as unmarried couples inquired over a one-year period about renting from landlords who own 14 condos and eight apartments. But the landlords allegedly told the testers that they would rent the units only to single people or married couples.

The landlords have agreed to pay $60,000 to the FHC to settle the discrimination claims, according to a report from the Associated Press.

If you're wondering whether marital status is protected in your state, check out the Protected Classes Tool at fairhousingresources.com or my article on About.com, entitled "Does Your State Fair Housing Law Have Any Additional Protected Classes?"

Fair Housing Month: Why Not Everyone Is Celebrating

It's Fair Housing Month, but not everyone is celebrating. There's no question that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) has proven itself over the past 42 years as a landmark piece of legislation that has helped thousands of victims of illegal housing discrimination across the United States. But, even after two significant amendments, the FHA protects people based on only seven protected classes — race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.

If you think that covers a lot of situations, you're right. But many individuals, advocacy groups, and politicians argue that the law doesn't go far enough. Several states, cities, and towns have succeeded in extending fair housing protection by including additional protected classes in their own anti-discrimination laws, such as:

• sexual orientation;
• age;
• marital status;
• source of income;
• military status;
• personal appearance; and
• political affiliation.

(For a scrollable list of additional protected classes in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, check out the "Protected Classes Tool" at fairhousingresources.com.)

Do you believe the FHA should be amended to include additional protected classes? If so, which protected classes would you like to see added? How fair is fair housing if many types of housing discrimination are still legal under federal law?

What do you think?

Return tomorrow for the thirtieth and final part of this special "Fair Housing Month" feature at Fairhousingblog.com.

Fair Housing Month: Colorado's Fair Housing Claim to Fame

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. is one of several government leaders to sign a proclamation declaring April 2010 to be "Fair Housing Month" in his state. In doing so, he noted "the great strides our state and nation have made toward breaking down barriers which impede the rights of all citizens."

If you study the proclamation, you'll notice that Mr. Ritter didn't wait until April to introduce the document (unlike the case with last year's proclamation), but had it signed, sealed, and delivered back on January 27.

The governor's early action on this matter is reminiscent of his state's own fair housing history. In 1959, Colorado became the first state to ban discrimination in private housing. So, by the time the United States caught up with the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) in 1968, landlords in the Centennial State had already amassed nearly a decade of compliance experience.

Interesting to note:

• In addition to the federally protected classes under the FHA, Colorado today also bans housing discrimination based on ancestry, marital status, and sexual orientation. (For more information, visit the Web site for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Civil Rights.)

Return tomorrow for the fourth part of this special "Fair Housing Month" feature at Fairhousingblog.com.

Bowling Green Votes Unanimously to Expand Fair Housing Protections

On Monday night, the city council of Bowling Green, Ohio voted unanimously to modify the city's fair housing ordinance to protect people based on additional protected classes. The ordinance will take effect 30 days after it was signed, however some expect the issue to arise again as a referendum, according to the Sentinel-Tribune.

Bowling Green's protected classes will include the following: race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, pregnancy, age, sexual orientation, creed, ancestry, disability, military status, veteran status, marital status, family status, physical characteristics, HIV-status and genetic information.

The ordinance also establishes a new complaint process that focuses on conciliation. Next month, the Ohio legislature is expected to consider expanding the state's list of protected classes.

Which protected classes would you like to see in your state, city, or town? Do you think the federal law will be amended in your lifetime to include any additional protected classes?

What do you think?

Interesting to note:

• In addition to expanding the list of protected classes, the council voted to remove "political ideology" as a protected class, for reasons unclear. Perhaps it was because of the inclusion of "creed," which is arguably more comprehensive.


• The council also approved a similar ordinance for workplace discrimination, though not by a unanimous vote.