Fair Housing

Fair Housing

Every person has the right of equal access to rental housing and homeownership opportunities without fear of discrimination. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing due to race or color; ancestry, national origin; citizenship, immigration status; primary language; age; religion; disability (mental or physical); sex, gender; sexual orientation; gender identity, gender expression; genetic information; marital status; familial status (having children or being pregnant); source of income; Military or veteran status and arbitrary characteristics (this could include tattoos, hair color, or political affiliation).  This list points out that discriminating against anybody for anything that does not reflect their ability to follow the lease agreement and pay their rent on time by housing providers is illegal. Based on these factors, landlords or sellers are prohibited from the following actions (see California Civil Rights Department for more information):

  • Refuse to rent or sell housing.
  • Refuse to negotiate for housing.
  • Make housing unavailable.
  • Deny a dwelling.
  • Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling.
  • Provide different housing services or facilities.
  • Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental.
  • For profit, persuade, or try to persuade homeowners to sell or rent dwellings by suggesting that people of a particular race, etc. have moved, or are about to move into the neighborhood.
  • Deny any person access to, or membership or participation in, any organization, facility or service (such as multiple listing service) related to the sale or rental of dwellings, or discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of such access, membership or participation.

If you think your fair housing rights may have been violated be sure to keep complete records of what happened, when it happened, and who discriminated against you.  You have one year after the discrimination allegedly occurred to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and/or the State Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH).

You may contact HUD or DFEH either in writing, via telephone or email at:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
San Francisco Regional Office
One Sansome Street, Ste 1200
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 498-6400 Fax (415) 498-6419
TTY: Dial 7-1-1 (Not available in all areas)
E-mail (CA_Webmanager@hud.gov)
Webpage (https://www.hud.gov/)
Get Directions

Department of Fair Employment and Housing
2218 Kausen Drive, Suite 100
Elk Grove, CA 95758
Phone: (800) 884-1684
E-mail (contact.center@dfeh.ca.gov)

A DFEH representative will respond to your email within two business days.
Communication Center 800-884-1684 (Voice), 800-700-2320 (TTY) or California's Relay Service at 711. For persons with a hearing disability.

How Can a Landlord in California Avoid Housing Discrimination Claims?

 Here are nine (9)  things that you can do to protect yourself against housing discrimination claims:

1.  Know and respect California law. When you know better, you do better.

2.  Document everything. If there is an accusation or incident, make sure to record every detail as soon as it occurs.

3.  Have fair and consistent policies. Treat people equally. Don’t check credit on a Black or a Hispanic and not a Caucasian. 

4.  Act professionally. There are times you will be frustrated, this is when it is most important to keep your cool.

5.  Be mindful of what you say. Discrimination does not have to be intentional to exist or to get you in trouble.

6.  Be respectful. People lash out when they feel disrespected. A sincere smile can go a long way.

7.  Don’t get defensive. If accused of housing discrimination do not act insulted and respond rudely. Slow down and clean up any misunderstanding. 

8.  Review all rental ads before running. Discriminatory statements like “No Service Dogs Allowed,” “Ideal for Professionals,” or “No Kids” will get you in trouble.

9.  Do not discriminate!

Some Things to Remember

In today’s world, you want to make sure that you understand federal fair housing laws. In California, these laws are vigorously enforced. If you are accused of discrimination it can be devastating, even if found not guilty.

More Fair Housing Educational and Resource Information:

Fair Housing (Spanish) Information: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/FHEO_BOOKLET_SP.PDF

Filing a Complaint in a Language Other Than English: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/complaint_filing_languages_other_english

Outreach Tools for all Languages: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/outreachtools

17 Limited English Proficiency Brochures: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/17lep

Fair Housing: It’s the Law    https://caanet.org/education/classes/fair-housing-its-the-law/

Fair Housing Resources & Information:  https://www.fairhousingnorcal.org/resources--more-information.html

Housing Industry Resources     https://www.fairhousingnorcal.org/housing-industry-resources.html

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City of Placerville
Planning Division
3101 Center Street
Placerville CA 95667

(530) 642-5252
updated: February 13, 2023