The federal Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, was intended to secure the buyer/renter of a dwelling from seller/landlord discrimination. The law was the outcome of a civil rights campaign versus housing discrimination in the United States. It was approved, at the advising of President Lyndon B. Johnson, only one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

HUD takes a look at problems of housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, nationwide origin, sex, special needs, or familial status. At no expense to you, HUD will check out the complaint and try to solve the matter with both parties. The process to submit a grievance is covered below.

NOTE: If you want to find out more about your rights as a tenant in Kansas, read this Kansas Tenant Handbook. It was originally published by the Kansas company Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), which helps individuals in Kansas with a range of consumer concerns.

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

This video talks about discrimination in Idaho, but it also applies to Kansas and other states too. If you feel you have actually been a victim of housing discrimination due to the fact that of LGBTQ status, you can make an application for help from KLS online or call the application line at 316-267-3975. Or you can learn how to file a complaint straight with HUD by going here.

What Housing Is Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing Sometimes, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings without any more than four systems, single-family housing sold or rented without a broker, and housing operated by companies and private clubs that limit tenancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

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

- Refuse to lease or sell housing
- Refuse to anticipate housing.
- Make housing unavailable
- Deny a house
- Set different terms, conditions or opportunities for sale or leasing of a dwelling
- Provide various housing services or facilities
- Falsely deny that housing is open for examination, sale, or rental
- For revenue, convince owners to offer or rent (blockbusting) or
- Deny anybody access to or membership in a center or service (such as a multiple listing service) associated to the sale or leasing of housing.

In Mortgage Lending: No one might take any of the following actions based upon race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status or handicap (special needs):

- Refuse to make a mortgage loan
- Refuse to offer info about loans
- Impose various terms or conditions on a loan, such as various interest rates, points, or fees
- Discriminate in evaluating residential or commercial property
- Refuse to purchase a loan or
- Set different terms or conditions for buying a loan.

In Addition: It is prohibited for anybody to:

- Threaten, coerce, bully or interfere with anyone using a reasonable housing right or helping others who exercise that right
- Advertise or make any statement that indicates a cap or choice based upon race, color, national origin, faith, sex, familial status, or handicap. This bar against prejudiced 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 linked with you:

- Have a physical or mental special needs (including hearing, movement and visual problems, chronic alcohol addiction, chronic psychological disease, AIDS, AIDS Related Complex and mental retardation) that significantly limits one or more significant life activities
- Have a record of such a disability or
- Are considered having such a disability

Your landlord may not:

- Refuse to let you make sensible changes to your residence or typical use areas, at your cost, if required for the handicapped person to utilize the housing. (Where reasonable, the landlord might allow changes only if you accept bring back the residential or commercial property to its initial condition when you move.).
- Refuse to make sensible variations in rules, policies, practices or services if needed for the disabled individual to utilize the housing.

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

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

However, housing need not be made vacant to a person who is a direct hazard to the health or security of others or who now uses unlawful drugs.

Requirements for New Buildings

In structures that were prepared for very first usage after March 13, 1991, and have an elevator and four or more units:

- Public and typical locations must be helpful to individuals with disabilities.
- Doors and hallways must be large enough for wheelchairs.
- All systems should have: - An available route into and through the unit.
- Handy light switches, electric outlets, thermostats and other environmental protections.
- Reinforced restroom walls to allow later on fitting of grab bars and.
- Bathroom and kitchens that can be utilized by people in wheelchairs.

If a structure with 4 or more units has no elevator and were all set for first use after March 13, 1991, these standards use to ground floor units.

These must-haves for new buildings do not change anymore rigid standards in State or regional law.

Housing Opportunities for Families

Unless a building or community qualifies as housing for older individuals, it might not discriminate based on familial status. That is, it might not discriminate versus families in which one or more kids under 18 deal with:

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

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

Exemption: Housing for older persons is exempt from the ban versus familial status discrimination if:

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

A transition period allows citizens on or before September 13, 1988, to continue residing in the housing, no matter their age, without hindering the exemption.

If you believe your rights have been breached ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Kansas or local reasonable housing firm is ready to help you submit a problem, or you can obtain legal help from KLS online or call the application line at 1-800-723-6953. Go on the internet to HUD to find out how to submit a complaint.

What to Tell HUD

- Your name and address.
- The name and address of the person your problem protests (the respondent).
- The address or other description of the housing involved.
- A brief description of the supposed violation (the occasion that caused you to think your rights were broken).
- The date of the supposed infraction

Where to Write or Call:

Send a letter to the reasonable housing office nearest you, or if you want, you may call that workplace straight.

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. Check out Tenant issues and rights for Kansas occupants Plain text -No HTML tags allowed.- Lines and paragraphs break automatically.- Web page addresses and email addresses develop into links instantly.