Fair Housing Rights to Protect you under The Law

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The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was meant to safeguard the buyer/renter of a dwelling from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil rights 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 examines complaints of housing discrimination based on race, color, religious beliefs, nationwide origin, sex, special needs, or familial status. At no expense to you, HUD will explore the grievance and attempt to fix the matter with both parties. The process to submit a problem is covered listed below.

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

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, but it also applies to Kansas and other states also. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination since of LGBTQ status, you can apply for support from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can discover how to file a problem directly with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing Sometimes, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or leased without a broker, and housing operated by companies and personal clubs that limit tenancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody may take any of the following actions based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to rent or sell housing

Refuse to imagine housing.
Make housing unavailable
Deny a residence
Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or leasing of a home
Provide different housing services or centers
Falsely deny that housing is open for evaluation, sale, or rental
For revenue, convince owners to offer or rent (blockbusting) or
Deny anyone access to or subscription in a center or service (such as a multiple listing service) associated to the sale or rental of housing.

In Mortgage Lending: Nobody might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, or handicap (impairment):

- Refuse to make a mortgage loan
Refuse to offer information about loans
Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as various rates of interest, points, or costs
Discriminate in assessing residential or commercial property
Refuse to purchase a loan or
Set different terms or conditions for purchasing a loan.

In Addition: It is illegal for anybody to:

- Threaten, coerce, bully or disrupt anyone applying a reasonable housing right or assisting others who work out that right
Advertise or make any declaration that suggests a cap or preference based on race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar versus discriminatory marketing uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

Additional Protection if You Have a Disability

If you or somebody gotten in touch with you:

- Have a physical or mental special needs (consisting of hearing, movement and visual impairments, chronic alcoholism, persistent mental illness, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that greatly limits several significant life activities
Have a record of such an impairment or
Are considered as having such a special needs

Your property manager might not:

- Refuse to let you make realistic modifications to your dwelling or typical usage locations, at your expenditure, if required for the handicapped individual to utilize the housing. (Where logical, the property owner may allow modifications just if you accept restore the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.).
Refuse to make practical variations in rules, policies, practices or services if needed for the disabled person to utilize the housing.

Example: A structure with a 'no family pets' policy must allow a visually impaired renter to keep a guide canine.

Example: Let's state a home complex offers tenants adequate, unassigned parking. They must honor a quote from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved area near her home if it is needed to assure that she can have access to her apartment or condo.

However, housing need not be made vacant to an individual who is a direct risk to the health or safety of others or who now uses controlled substances.

Requirements for New Buildings

In structures that were ready for very first usage after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more systems:

- Public and common locations need to be useful to persons with impairments.
Doors and hallways should be broad enough for wheelchairs.
All systems must have: - An accessible path into and through the unit.
Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other ecological controls.
Reinforced restroom walls to enable later on fitting of grab bars and.
Bathroom and kitchens that can be utilized by people in wheelchairs.

If a building with 4 or more units has no elevator and were all set for first usage after March 13, 1991, these standards apply to ground flooring units.

These must-haves for new buildings do not change anymore strict standards in State or regional law.

Housing Opportunities for Families

Unless a structure or community qualifies as housing for older individuals, it may not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it may not victimize families in which one or more kids under 18 deal with:

- A parent.
A person who has legal custody of the child or kids or.
The designee of the moms and dad or legal custodian, with the parent or custodian's written permission.

Familial status defense likewise uses to pregnant ladies and anybody securing legal custody of a child under 18.

Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the ban versus familial status discrimination if:

- The HUD Secretary has actually decided that it is specially created for and occupied by elderly individuals under a Federal, State or city government program or.
It is occupied solely by individuals who are 62 or older or.
It houses a minimum of someone who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units. It must likewise stick to a policy that shows an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.

A shift duration allows homeowners on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, no matter their age, without disrupting the exemption.

If you think your rights have been broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or local reasonable housing agency is prepared to assist you submit a problem, or you can use for legal assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go on the internet to HUD to find out how to submit a problem.

What to Tell HUD

- Your name and address.
The name and address of the person your complaint protests (the respondent).
The address or other description of the housing included.
A short description of the supposed violation (the event that triggered you to believe your rights were breached).
The date of the supposed offense

Where to Write or Call:

Send a letter to the reasonable housing office nearest you, or if you want, you may call that workplace directly.

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!.?.! Take a look at our pages on Resolving legal
barriers to work and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Check out Tenant issues and rights for Kansas renters Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break instantly.- Websites addresses and e-mail addresses become links instantly.