The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was planned to safeguard the buyer/renter of a home from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil liberties campaign against housing discrimination in the United States. It was approved, at the prompting 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 analyzes complaints of housing discrimination based upon race, color, faith, nationwide origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no charge to you, HUD will explore the complaint and try to fix the matter with both celebrations. The procedure to submit a problem is covered below.

NOTE: If you wish to discover 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 helps people in Kansas with a range of consumer concerns.

Here is a video to demonstrate how the Fair Housing Act safeguards you from discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status.

This video discuss discrimination in Idaho, however 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 use for support from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can find out how to submit a complaint directly with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In many cases, the Act excuses owner-occupied structures with no more than 4 units, single-family housing sold or leased without a broker, and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that restrict tenancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to lease or sell housing
- Refuse to plan on housing.
- Make housing not available
- Deny a house
- Set various terms, conditions or advantages for sale or leasing of a home
- Provide various housing services or facilities
- Falsely reject that housing is open for assessment, sale, or rental
- For earnings, convince owners to offer or rent (blockbusting) or
- Deny anybody access to or subscription in a center or service (such as a multiple listing service) related to the sale or rental of housing.

In Mortgage Lending: Nobody may take any of the following actions based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (disability):

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

In Addition: It is illegal for anybody to:

- Threaten, persuade, bully or disrupt anybody applying a reasonable housing right or assisting others who exercise that right
- Advertise or make any statement that indicates a cap or choice based upon race, color, nationwide origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar versus inequitable marketing applies 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 (including hearing, movement and visual impairments, persistent alcoholism, persistent mental disorder, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and psychological retardation) that considerably restricts several major life activities
- Have a record of such a special needs or
- Are considered having such a disability

Your property manager might not:

- Refuse to let you make practical modifications to your dwelling or common usage locations, at your cost, if required for the handicapped person to utilize the housing. (Where reasonable, the proprietor may allow modifications just if you accept bring back the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.).
- Refuse to make reasonable variations in guidelines, policies, practices or services if needed for the disabled individual to utilize the housing.

Example: A building with a 'no pets' policy must enable an aesthetically impaired tenant to keep a guide dog.

Example: Let's state an apartment building uses renters sufficient, unassigned parking. They must honor a bid from a mobility-impaired renter for a reserved space near her home if it is needed to assure that she can have access to her home.

However, housing need not be made uninhabited 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 buildings that were ready for first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:

- Public and common areas need to come in handy to individuals with impairments.
- Doors and corridors should be large enough for wheelchairs.
- All systems must have: - An accessible route into and through the system.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced bathroom walls to permit later on fitting of grab bars and.
- Kitchens and bathrooms that can be used by individuals in wheelchairs.

If a structure with four or more systems has no elevator and were all set for first use after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground floor units.

These must-haves for brand-new buildings do not change any more strict standards in State or local law.

Housing Opportunities for Families

Unless a building or neighborhood qualifies as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it might not victimize households in which one or more kids under 18 deal with:

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

Familial status defense also uses to pregnant women and anyone protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.

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

- The HUD Secretary has actually decided that it is specifically developed for and inhabited by seniors under a Federal, State or city government program or.
- It is inhabited solely by persons who are 62 or older or.
- It houses a minimum of a single person who is 55 or older in a minimum of 80 percent of the occupied units. It must also follow a policy that demonstrates an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.

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

If you believe your rights have been broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional reasonable housing company is ready to help you file a complaint, or you can make an application for legal help from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to find out how to submit a grievance.

What to Tell HUD

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

Where to Write or Call:

Send a letter to the fair housing workplace nearest you, or if you wish, you might call that office directly.

Great Plains Office-- Fair Housing Hub

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,

Gateway Tower II, 400 State Avenue, Room 200, fourth 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!.?.! Check out our pages on Resolving legal

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