The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was planned to protect the buyer/renter of a dwelling from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the result of a civil rights project against housing discrimination in the United States. It was approved, at the urging of President Lyndon B. Johnson, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

. The Act is imposed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD examines grievances of housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, nationwide origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no expense to you, HUD will check out the grievance and attempt to fix the matter with both celebrations. The process to submit a grievance is covered below.

NOTE: If you wish to discover more about your rights as a tenant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was initially published by the Kansas agency Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which helps people in Kansas with a range of consumer concerns.

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

This video speak about discrimination in Idaho, but it likewise uses to Kansas and other states as well. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination because of LGBTQ status, you can apply for assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can learn how to file a grievance directly with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In some cases, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings without any more than 4 systems, single-family housing sold or rented without a broker, and housing run by organizations and private clubs that restrict occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: Nobody may take any of the following actions based on race, color, nationwide origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to rent or offer housing
- Refuse to bargain for housing.
- Make housing not available
- Deny a dwelling
- Set various terms, conditions or benefits for sale or rental of a residence
- Provide various housing services or centers
- Falsely reject that housing is open for evaluation, sale, or rental
- For revenue, encourage owners to offer or lease (blockbusting) or
- Deny anybody access to or membership in a center or service (such as a numerous listing service) associated to the sale or rental of housing.

In Mortgage Lending: No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap (special needs):

- Refuse to make a mortgage loan
- Refuse to provide info about loans
- Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as various rates of interest, points, or fees
- Discriminate in assessing residential or commercial property
- Refuse to buy a loan or
- Set various terms or conditions for acquiring a loan.

In Addition: It is unlawful for anybody to:

- Threaten, coerce, bully or disrupt anybody using a reasonable housing right or assisting others who exercise that right
- Advertise or make any statement that shows a cap or preference based upon race, color, nationwide origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar versus prejudiced advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

Additional Protection if You Have a Special needs

If you or someone connected with you:

- Have a physical or psychological disability (consisting of hearing, mobility and visual problems, chronic alcoholism, persistent mental health problem, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that significantly restricts several significant life activities
- Have a record of such an impairment or
- Are regarded as having such an impairment

Your proprietor might not:

- Refuse to let you make practical changes to your home or common usage locations, at your expense, if required for the disabled individual to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the proprietor might allow modifications just if you accept restore the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.).
- Refuse to make practical variations in rules, policies, practices or services if required for the handicapped person to use the housing.

Example: A building with a 'no animals' policy need to allow a visually impaired renter to keep a guide canine.

Example: Let's state an apartment building offers tenants adequate, unassigned parking. They must honor a bid from a mobility-impaired tenant for a reserved area near her house if it is required to assure that she can have access to her home.

However, housing need not be made vacant to an individual who is a direct hazard to the health or safety of others or who now uses controlled substances.

Requirements for New Buildings

In buildings that were ready for very first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and 4 or more units:

- Public and common areas should be useful to individuals with specials needs.
- Doors and corridors must be broad enough for wheelchairs.
- All units need to have: - An accessible route into and through the unit.
- Handy light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other ecological controls.
- Reinforced restroom walls to permit later fitting of grab bars and.
- Bathroom and kitchens that can be used by individuals in wheelchairs.

If a structure with four or more units has no elevator and were all set for first usage after March 13, 1991, these requirements use to ground floor units.

These must-haves for new buildings do not replace any more stringent requirements in State or local law.

Housing Opportunities for Families

Unless a structure or community makes the grade as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it may not discriminate against families in which several kids under 18 deal with:

- A moms and dad.
- A person who has legal custody of the kid or kids or.
- The designee of the moms and dad or legal custodian, with the moms and dad or custodian's written authorization.

Familial status protection likewise applies to pregnant females and anybody protecting legal custody of a kid under 18.

Exemption: Housing for older individuals is exempt from the restriction versus familial status discrimination if:

- The HUD Secretary has actually chosen that it is specifically created for and occupied by seniors under a Federal, State or regional federal government program or.
- It is inhabited solely by individuals who are 62 or older or.
- It houses at least someone who is 55 or older in a minimum of 80 percent of the occupied systems. It must likewise follow a policy that shows an intent to house individuals who are 55 or older.

A transition period allows homeowners on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, regardless of their age, without hindering the exemption.

If you think your rights have been broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional fair housing firm is all set to assist you file a problem, or you can apply for legal support from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Browse the web to HUD to learn how to submit a complaint.

What to Tell HUD

- Your name and address.
- The name and address of the individual your grievance protests (the participant).
- The address or other description of the housing involved.
- A short description of the alleged infraction (the event that caused you to believe your rights were broken).
- The date of the supposed violation

Where to Write or Call:

Send a letter to the reasonable housing office closest you, or if you want, you might call that office directly.

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

TTY (913) 551-6972

E-mail: Complaints_office_07@hud.gov!.?.! Have a look at our pages on Resolving legal

barriers to work and housing and Facts about record expungement in Kansas. Read about Tenant issues and rights for Kansas tenants Plain text -No HTML tags enabled.- Lines and paragraphs break instantly.- Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.