The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was meant to safeguard the buyer/renter of a dwelling from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil rights project versus 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 enforced by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD analyzes complaints of housing discrimination based upon race, color, faith, national origin, sex, impairment, or familial status. At no charge to you, HUD will explore the problem and attempt to deal with the matter with both celebrations. The process to submit a complaint is covered listed below.

NOTE: If you wish to discover more about your rights as an occupant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was originally released by the Kansas company Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which assists people in Kansas with a range of customer concerns.

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

This video talks about discrimination in Idaho, but it also applies to Kansas and other states as well. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can look for help from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can discover how to submit a complaint directly with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing Sometimes, the Act exempts owner-occupied structures without any more than 4 units, single-family housing sold or rented without a broker, and housing run by companies and personal clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

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

- Refuse to lease or offer housing - Refuse to deal for housing.

• Make housing not available
• Deny a house
• Set various terms, conditions or privileges for sale or leasing of a house
• Provide various housing services or facilities
• Falsely reject that housing is open for assessment, sale, or rental
• For profit, encourage owners to offer or lease (blockbusting) or
• Deny anyone access to or subscription in a facility or service (such as a several listing service) related to the sale or leasing of housing.
  
  In Mortgage Lending: No one might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap (impairment):
  
  - Refuse to make a mortgage loan
• Refuse to give info about loans
• Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or costs
• Discriminate in evaluating residential or commercial property
• Refuse to purchase a loan or
• Set different terms or conditions for purchasing a loan.
  
  In Addition: It is illegal for anyone to:
  
  - Threaten, coerce, bully or hinder anyone using a fair housing right or helping others who exercise that right
• Advertise or make any statement that shows a cap or choice based on race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against inequitable advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
  
  Additional Protection if You Have an Impairment
  
  If you or someone linked with you:
  
  - Have a physical or mental disability (consisting of hearing, mobility and visual disabilities, persistent alcohol addiction, persistent psychological illness, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that considerably limits one or more major life activities
• Have a record of such an impairment or
• Are considered having such a special needs
  
  Your landlord may not:
  
  - Refuse to let you make practical modifications to your residence or common usage areas, at your expense, if required for the disabled individual to use the housing. (Where rational, the landlord might allow modifications only if you concur to bring back the residential or commercial property to its original condition when you move.).
• Refuse to make sensible variations in rules, policies, practices or services if needed for the handicapped person to utilize the housing.
  
  Example: A structure with a 'no animals' policy need to permit an aesthetically impaired tenant to keep a guide canine.
  
  Example: Let's say an apartment building provides tenants adequate, unassigned parking. They must honor a quote from a mobility-impaired occupant for a reserved space near her apartment if it is needed to assure that she can have access to her apartment or condo.
  
  However, housing need not be made vacant to a person who is a direct risk to the health or safety of others or who now utilizes unlawful drugs.
  
  Requirements for New Buildings
  
  In buildings that were ready for first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and 4 or more systems:
  
  - Public and typical locations need to be helpful to persons with impairments.
• Doors and corridors need to be wide enough for wheelchairs.
• All systems should have: - An available path into and through the unit.
• Handy light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
• Reinforced restroom walls to enable later fitting of grab bars and.
• Bathroom and kitchens that can be utilized by people in wheelchairs.
  
  If a structure with 4 or more units has no elevator and were all set for first use after March 13, 1991, these standards apply to ground flooring systems.
  
  These must-haves for brand-new structures do not change any more strict requirements in State or local law.
  
  Housing Opportunities for Families
  
  Unless a structure or community makes the grade as housing for older individuals, it may not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it might not discriminate against families in which one or more children under 18 live with:
  
  - A moms and dad.
• A person who has legal custody of the child or kids or.
• The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's written consent.
  
  Familial status defense also applies to pregnant ladies and anyone securing legal custody of a kid under 18.
  
  Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the ban versus familial status discrimination if:
  
  - The HUD Secretary has decided that it is specially designed for and occupied by elderly individuals under a Federal, State or local government program or.
• It is inhabited entirely by individuals who are 62 or older or.
• It houses a minimum of someone who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units. It needs to likewise abide by a policy that demonstrates an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.
  
  A transition duration allows 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 broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and (HUD), a Kansas or local reasonable housing company is prepared to assist you file a grievance, or you can use for legal support from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go on the internet to HUD to discover how to file a grievance.
  
  What to Tell HUD
  
  - Your name and address.
• The name and address of the person your problem is against (the respondent).
• The address or other description of the housing involved.
• A short description of the supposed violation (the occasion that triggered you to believe your rights were breached).
• The date of the alleged violation
  
  Where to Write or Call:
  
  Send a letter to the reasonable housing workplace nearby you, or if you wish, you may call that workplace straight.
  
  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
  askmoney.com
  TTY (913) 551-6972
  
  E-mail: Complaints_office_07@hud.gov!.?.! Check out our pages on Resolving legal
  barriers to work and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Read about Tenant concerns and rights for Kansas renters Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break immediately.- Websites addresses and email addresses become links immediately.reference.com