fair housing
Home Forward conducts its business according to federal, state, and city fair housing guidelines.
Information for Landlords Regarding Screening Guidelines
The purpose of fair housing law is to prevent discrimination on the basis of a person’s identity in a protected class. Nothing in the law forbids you from setting fair screening guidelines and applying them equally to all applicants.
Every person belongs to a protected class – each of us has a race, color, religion, sex, disability status, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, source of income, age, or marital status. So any time you deny an applicant, you deny someone who belongs to a protected class. The question is whether or not you treat applicants (or tenants) adversely because of a protected class or their identity within it. If the criteria you set are blind to class issues, and you apply them consistently, you may turn down applicants who do not qualify.
The key is to make sure your process neither directly nor indirectly discriminates on the basis a protected class. To comply, you should apply your process consistently and equally to all applicants.
Tillicum North
It is legal to set fair criteria and hold all applicants to the same standards. By the consistent use of such guidelines, you can retain full and appropriate control over finding tenants. As you think about the letter of the law, keep its spirit in mind as well. It is important to our society that we we remove the types of discrimination that weaken our communities.
