FAIR HOUSING IS THE LAW

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to harass persons because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin?  Recent changes, including a lawsuit and executive order, resulted in a HUD memo on February 11^th defining discrimination on the basis of sex to extend to and include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

This is likely to result in additional Fair Housing testing.  HUD has ordered that effective immediately, “HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) shall accept for filing and investigate all complaints of sex discrimination, including discrimination because of gender identity or sexual orientation.” This shouldn’t be an issue for landlords and property managers in Washington state as marital status, sexual orientation and gender identity are already protected.

We are here to help you and your clients with all aspects of the rental market. Please contact us for further assistance!

Nothing found herein should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of law. You should not rely solely on this information. We encourage our clients to work with a lawyer experienced in commercial and/or residential real estate matters as they can be complicated and confusing.