Community Rebuilders Fair Housing

The Fair Housing Act applies to all housing providers and staff, ignorance is no defense.

The City of Grand Rapids Housing ordinance: The opportunity to purchase, lease, sell, hold, use and convey dwelling housing or dwelling units without discrimination because of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, familial status, disability, source of lawful income, public assistance recipient status or gender orientation is hereby recognized and declared to be a civil right. It shall not be a violation of this section for the owner of an owner-occupied one family or two family dwelling to restrict occupancy.

Regardless of any exemptions, all housing providers are prohibited from advertising in a discriminatory manner, including promotional materials, flyers, signs, banners, newspaper, internet advertisement and verbal statements made.

The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits threats, coercion, or intimidation, including sexual harassment.

A modification or accommodation can be requested at any time.

The federal Fair Housing Act protects persons with physical and mental disabilities including HIV/AIDS, alcoholics, and previous drug users. However, the law does not protect a person who is currently using illegal drugs.

The correct answer includes the protected classes under federal and Michigan state fair housing laws. These laws prohibit discrimination in housing based on certain characteristics or attributes. The protected classes listed in the answer include race, marital status, sex, age, national origin, handicap status, familial status, color, and religion. These classes are protected to ensure equal access to housing opportunities and prevent discrimination based on these characteristics.

This is an example of 'steering' a tenant based on familial status. Such policies limit the housing choice for families with children (which are not limiting for people without children) and violate fair housing laws.

A landlord may not charge a higher security deposit for a tenant who has a disability. Liability is not an excuse to treat a tenant differently. This would be an example of enforcing different terms and conditions upon a tenant due to their disability.

Mandating that boys and girls have separate bedrooms is a violation of fair housing laws. The decision over sleeping arrangements in a household is left to that of the family, not the housing provider.

It is illegal under the Fair Housing laws to request a pet deposit for a 'service animal'. This would be an example of a reasonable accommodation because the pet is not a choice but rather a necessity. Therefore the animal is not considered a 'pet' in this situation.

An ad that shows a preference for 'single' individuals discourages families with children from renting a unit. Furthermore, the term 'young professional' discourages tenants who are elderly and/or those unable to work due to a disability.