Fair Housing Laws
Note: If you wish to file a complaint regarding fair housing violations, refer to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's online complaint page for more information.
Housing discrimination is illegal, even if it isn’t intentional. Nationwide, it’s illegal to discriminate against rental applicants on the basis of any of the following characteristics:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- National origin
- Sex
- Familial status
- Disability
Additional State and local protections vary, but may include:
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity or expression
- Citizenship
- Military status
- Source of income
- Criminal history
If your application is declined due to factors associated with your consumer reports (information in a credit report, eviction report, and/or criminal report), the property manager is responsible for issuing you a formal notice outside of Apartments.com to comply with Fair Housing Laws.
You can learn more about your rights and local laws from your local Fair Housing Alliance or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Your city or state may have more expansive rules around what factors a housing provider can consider when evaluating applications, and how they must process an application. If you live in Washington, D.C., Cook County (Chicago), IL, or Detroit, MI, you can read more about criminal record screening laws in your area here.
Apartments.com is committed to Equal Opportunity in Housing. Read More: https://www.apartments.com/about/equal-opportunity-in-housing-statement