The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Liberty Act of 1968, was intended to safeguard the buyer/renter of a residence from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the result of a civil liberties campaign versus housing discrimination in the United States. It was authorized, at the urging of President Lyndon B. Johnson, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

. The Act is implemented by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD examines problems of housing discrimination based upon race, color, faith, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no charge to you, HUD will check out the complaint and attempt to fix the matter with both parties. The process to file a problem is covered listed below.

NOTE: If you want 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 helps individuals in Kansas with a range of customer problems.

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

This video discuss discrimination in Idaho, however it likewise uses to Kansas and other states as well. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can request assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can discover how to submit a problem straight with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing Sometimes, the Act exempts owner-occupied structures with no more than four systems, single-family housing offered or leased without a broker, and housing run by organizations and personal clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: No one may take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to lease or sell housing

• Refuse to bargain for housing.
• Make housing unavailable
• Deny a dwelling
• Set various terms, conditions or benefits for sale or leasing of a home
• Provide different housing services or facilities
• Falsely deny that housing is open for examination, sale, or rental
• For revenue, persuade owners to sell or lease (blockbusting) or
• Deny anybody access to or subscription in a center or service (such as a several listing service) associated to the sale or rental of housing.
  
  In Mortgage Lending: No one might 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 about loans
• Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees
• Discriminate in appraising residential or commercial property
• Refuse to buy a loan or
• Set various terms or conditions for acquiring a loan.
  
  In Addition: It is unlawful for anyone to:
  
  - Threaten, persuade, bully or disrupt anybody applying a fair housing right or assisting others who work out that right
• Advertise or make any declaration that suggests a cap or choice based upon race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against inequitable advertising uses to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
  
  Additional Protection if You Have a Special needs
  
  If you or somebody connected with you:
  
  - Have a physical or mental special needs (consisting of hearing, movement and visual problems, chronic alcohol addiction, chronic mental disorder, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that considerably limits one or more major life activities
• Have a record of such a disability or
• Are considered as having such an impairment
  
  Your landlord may not:
  
  - Refuse to let you make reasonable modifications to your home or typical usage areas, at your expenditure, if needed for the handicapped person to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the landlord may allow modifications just if you agree to bring back the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.).
• Refuse to make sensible variations in guidelines, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped individual to use the housing.
  
  Example: A structure with a 'no pets' policy must enable an aesthetically impaired renter to keep a guide pet dog.
  
  Example: Let's state an apartment building provides renters ample, unassigned parking. They must honor a bid from a mobility-impaired renter for a reserved area near her apartment if it is needed to guarantee that she can have access to her house.
  
  However, housing need not be made vacant to a person who is a direct risk to the health or security of others or who now uses prohibited drugs.
  
  Requirements for New Buildings
  
  In structures that were ready for first usage after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more systems:
  
  - Public and areas need to be convenient to individuals with disabilities.
• Doors and corridors must be large enough for wheelchairs.
• All systems must have: - An available path into and through the unit.
• Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental controls.
• Reinforced restroom walls to allow later fitting of grab bars and.
• Bathroom and kitchens that can be used by people in wheelchairs.
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  If a building with four or more units has no elevator and were all set for first use after March 13, 1991, these requirements apply to ground flooring systems.
  
  These must-haves for brand-new buildings do not replace any more stringent standards in State or local law.
  
  Housing Opportunities for Families
  
  Unless a building or community qualifies as housing for older individuals, it may not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it may not victimize families in which several children under 18 deal with:
  
  - A moms and dad.
• An individual who has legal custody of the kid or children or.
• The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's written permission.
  
  Familial status defense likewise uses to pregnant women and anybody protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.
  
  Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the restriction versus familial status discrimination if:
  
  - The HUD Secretary has decided that it is specifically designed for and inhabited by elderly persons under a Federal, State or city government program or.
• It is inhabited entirely 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 needs to also follow a policy that demonstrates an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.
  
  A transition period permits homeowners on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, despite their age, without interfering with the exemption.
  
  If you believe your rights have actually been violated ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional reasonable housing agency is all set to help you submit a problem, or you can look for legal assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go online to HUD to discover how to file a complaint.
  
  What to Tell HUD
  
  - Your name and address.
• The name and address of the person your problem is versus (the respondent).
• The address or other description of the housing included.
• A brief description of the alleged offense (the event that caused you to think your rights were violated).
• The date of the supposed violation
  
  Where to Write or Call:
  
  Send a letter to the reasonable housing office closest you, or if you wish, you may call that office straight.
  
  Great Plains Office-- Fair Housing Hub
  forumcu.com
  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!.?.! Have a look at our pages on Resolving legal
  barriers to employment and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Read about Tenant problems and rights for Kansas occupants Plain text -No HTML tags permitted.- Lines and paragraphs break automatically.- Websites addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.