Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act, passed in 1968, created protected classes to ensure that all people have equal access to housing. These protected classes cannot be discriminated against when being considered for rentals, homes, and loans. There are federal protected classes and state-specific protected classes.

Nationwide, you cannot discriminate or be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex including gender identity or expression, familial status, or disability. Rhode Island law added more classes to prevent discrimination on the basis of marital status, military status, retaliation, lawful source of income, housing status, age, or if a person has been a victim of domestic abuse.

Fair housing

Discrimination: Domestic Violence

Discrimination: Source of Income/Section 8

What can you do if you feel your Fair Housing rights have been violated?

  1. File a complaint with The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – The Fair Housing Act is administered by HUD. Complaints can be filed with the Department through the HUD website at hud.gov/fairhousing. An employee will follow up on the complaint with you, the agent, their broker, and anyone else associated with the violation.

Additional Resources

Additional Resources

R I Association of REALTORS® &
State-Wide Multiple Listing Service
100 Bignall St
Warwick, RI 02888

Quick Links

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