Apartment Housing Landlord Live People Renting Discrimination Illegal

"Discrimination" is the practice of treating someone unfairly because of one or more "characteristics" (things that describe a person), such as "gender" (whether one is a man or a woman), "nationality" (what country one belongs to), "race" (skin color), "disability" (something that is wrong with one's body) or "family status" (whether one is single, married, or divorced, or whether one has children). Discrimination is "illegal" (against the law) when "hiring" (giving someone a job), and it is also illegal when deciding who will live in an apartment or house.

The Fair Housing "Act" (law) "prohibits" (doesn't allow) housing discrimination. According to the Act, a landlord cannot "deny" (say no to) a person's "application" (written request) for housing based on the characteristics listed above. For example, a landlord cannot choose to let only white people live in an apartment building. A landlord cannot deny an application just because someone has children, either.

Sometimes people with disabilities need to have special "accommodations," or things that are changed in a house or apartment so that, for example, a person in a "wheelchair" (a chair on wheels, used by someone who cannot walk) can live there. A landlord cannot deny a housing application from a disabled person if he or she is willing to make the necessary accommodations to the apartment or house.

People who believe that they are the "victims" (people who has been hurt by another person's illegal action) of housing discrimination can "file" (submit) a "complaint," or a document that describes the situation and says why they think the Fair Housing Act has been "violated" (not followed as the law requires). Then a government agency will "investigate" (research) the complaint.