The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Liberty Act of 1968, was meant to protect the buyer/renter of a home 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.
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. The Act is implemented by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD examines grievances of housing discrimination based upon race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status. At no cost to you, HUD will explore the complaint and try to fix the matter with both parties. The process to file a grievance is covered below.

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

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

This video speak about discrimination in Idaho, but it also uses to Kansas and other states too. If you feel you have actually been a victim of housing discrimination since of LGBTQ status, you can get support from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can discover how to submit a grievance straight with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing In many cases, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings without any more than 4 units, single-family housing offered or leased without a broker, and housing run by companies and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is ?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing: No one might take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status or handicap:

- Refuse to lease or offer housing

• Refuse to deal for housing.
• Make housing unavailable
• Deny a house
• Set various terms, conditions or opportunities for sale or rental of a residence
• Provide different housing services or facilities
• Falsely reject that housing is open for inspection, sale, or leasing
• For revenue, convince owners to offer or lease (blockbusting) or
• Deny anybody access to or membership in a facility or service (such as a numerous listing service) related to the sale or leasing of housing.
  
  In Mortgage Lending: Nobody may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap (disability):
  
  - Refuse to make a mortgage loan
• Refuse to offer details about loans
• Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as various rates of interest, points, or fees
• Discriminate in appraising residential or commercial property
• Refuse to purchase a loan or
• Set different terms or conditions for purchasing a loan.
  
  In Addition: It is illegal for anyone to:
  
  - Threaten, persuade, bully or disrupt anybody applying a fair housing right or helping others who work out that right
• Advertise or make any declaration that suggests a cap or choice based upon race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against discriminatory advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.
  
  Additional Protection if You Have an Impairment
  
  If you or somebody connected with you:
  
  - Have a physical or mental special needs (including hearing, mobility and visual disabilities, persistent alcoholism, chronic mental health problem, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that significantly limits several significant life activities
• Have a record of such an impairment or
• Are considered having such an impairment
  
  Your property manager may not:
  
  - Refuse to let you make practical modifications to your house or typical use areas, at your cost, if needed for the handicapped individual to utilize the housing. (Where logical, the property owner might permit modifications only if you concur to bring back the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.).
• Refuse to make reasonable variations in guidelines, policies, practices or services if needed for the disabled person to utilize the housing.
  
  Example: A structure with a 'no pets' policy should allow an aesthetically impaired occupant to keep a guide pet.
  
  Example: Let's state a home complex provides occupants ample, unassigned parking. They need to honor a quote from a mobility-impaired renter for a reserved area near her apartment or condo if it is needed to guarantee that she can have access to her apartment or condo.
  
  However, housing need not be made uninhabited to an individual who is a direct danger to the health or safety of others or who now uses controlled substances.
  
  Requirements for New Buildings
  
  In structures that were prepared for very first use after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:
  
  - Public and common locations should be useful to individuals with impairments.
• Doors and corridors should be large enough for wheelchairs.
• All units need to have: - An available path into and through the system.
• Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
• Reinforced bathroom walls to permit later fitting of grab bars and.
• Kitchens and bathrooms that can be utilized by individuals in wheelchairs.
  
  If a building with 4 or more systems has no elevator and were all set for very first usage after March 13, 1991, these standards apply to ground floor systems.
  
  These must-haves for brand-new buildings do not change any more stringent requirements in State or local law.
  
  Housing Opportunities for Families
  
  Unless a building or community qualifies as housing for older persons, it may not discriminate based upon familial status. That is, it may not victimize families in which one or more kids under 18 cope with:
  
  - A parent.
• An individual who has legal custody of the child or children or.
• The designee of the parent or legal custodian, with the parent or custodian's written consent.
  
  Familial status defense likewise uses to pregnant females and anybody protecting legal custody of a child under 18.
  
  Exemption: Housing for older persons is exempt from the restriction versus familial status discrimination if:
  
  - The HUD Secretary has decided that it is specifically created for and inhabited by seniors under a Federal, State or local government program or.
• It is inhabited exclusively by persons who are 62 or older or.
• It houses at least a single person who is 55 or older in a minimum of 80 percent of the occupied units. It needs to also stick to a policy that shows an intent to house persons who are 55 or older.
  
  A transition duration allows citizens on or before September 13, 1988, to continue living in the housing, regardless of their age, without interfering with the exemption.
  
  If you believe your rights have been broken ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or regional reasonable housing firm is prepared to assist you file a complaint, or you can obtain legal assistance from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go online to HUD to discover how to file a complaint.
  
  What to Tell HUD
  
  - Your name and address.
• The name and address of the individual your problem is versus (the respondent).
• The address or other description of the housing involved.
• A short description of the supposed infraction (the event that triggered you to think your rights were breached).
• The date of the supposed violation
  
  Where to Write or Call:
  
  Send a letter to the fair housing office nearest 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, 4th 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!.?.! Take 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 allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break immediately.- Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links instantly.reference.com