Federal Fair Housing Law protects against housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. Michigan law adds age and marital status protections. Local fair housing ordinances may include: condition of pregnancy, source of income, family responsibilities, educational association, sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, political orientation, and use of adaptive devices or aids.
How do you know if you have been treated unfairly? The truth is, you often don’t. While commonly experienced, discrimination can be subtle, friendly and often difficult to pin down. “Housing discrimination often comes with a smile and a handshake” is a common motto at our office. If you have found yourself on this website because you thought something “odd”, “unfair”, “wrong” happened to you and you wanted to find out if it is discrimination, please call us at 1-877-979-FAIR or fill out our on-line contact form.
Some examples of what housing discrimination could sound like:
“Sorry, we just rented the last apartment”
“No disability, we only rent to working people”
“We aren’t set up for children”
“Your credit isn’t good enough”
“A boy and a girl can’t share a bedroom”
“We must have lost your application”
“You might feel more comfortable in another neighborhood”
“Most of the people who live in this building are ‘professionals’”
“You can’t build a ramp for access to the building—it won’t look good”
If you’ve heard remarks such as these while looking for a place to live, you may have experienced housing discrimination. If you have any reason to believe that you have been the victim of housing discrimination in Washtenaw, Lenawee, Monroe, Ingham, Jackson and Livingston county, please call us toll-free at 1-877-979-FAIR to discuss the situation or fill out our on-line contact form.
