Fair Housing: Know Your Rights!
     Every day, throughout our community, people seek one of our most basic needs: housing. While many people go through a housing transaction with few obstacles, others are illegally denied housing. The most common forms of discrimination are based on race, disability, and the presence of children in a household. No one is immune to housing discrimination. It can happen to people of all races, income levels, and ages, and it happens in all areas of the rental market, including rental, sales, mortgage lending, and homeowners insurance.
      The US Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that over two million acts of housing discrimination occur annually, yet few incidents are reported. The reasons for this discrepancy are simple. Few people know or understand the fair housing laws that protect them. Further, housing discrimination is often subtle and difficult to detect. Don't let housing discrimination happen to you. Know your rights and how to protect them.
      April is National Fair Housing Month. How well you understand fair housing laws? Take this quiz and find out. 

Q:Is it okay for a landlord to place all families with children on one floor and all other occupants on a separate floor?
A: Absolutely not! The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits the discrimination of an individual on the basis of familial status. That means that no one can be denied access to housing based on their household composition, including the presence of children. Segregating a housing complex by floor or building is a violation of this law.
Q: As a single parent, can a housing provider tell me that they prefer a household with a married couple?
A: No. A housing provider cannot deny anyone housing because of his or her marital status, whether they have children or not. / Q: I use a wheelchair. Can a landlord charge me a higher security deposit than other tenants?
A: No. Housing providers should provide the same terms and conditions to all home seekers, regardless of disability.
Q: True or false: It's legal for real estate brokers to direct people of color to predominately minority neighborhoods.
A: False. Steering restricts an individual's housing choices and perpetuates segregation.
Q: True or false: Landlords who live in their own buildings don't need to comply with fair housing laws.
A: False. The Wisconsin Open Housing Law has no exemptions for owner-occupied housing.
Q: I have a disability and use a dog as a service animal to help me live independently. When I applied to live at an apartment complex, the manager told me that no pets are allowed in the complex. Can I keep my dog?
A: If you have a disability and need a service animal in order to live independently, you have the right to request an accommodation to the housing provider's "no pets" rule in order to keep your service animal. Housing providers are obligated to allow reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Q: I'm 23 years old. A rental manager told me that he doesn't rent to people under 25. Is this legal?
A: No. The Wisconsin Open Housing Law protects people 18 years of age and older from discrimination based on age.
      If you think you may have been the victim of illegal housing discrimination, please contact the Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison at 608-257-0853 or call a toll-free statewide complaint intake hotline at 1-877-647-3247. For more information, please see our website address, www.fairhousingwisconsin.com.
      The Fair Housing Center also provides educational presentations to neighborhood groups, social service agencies, religious congregations, and others about fair housing law and illegal housing discrimination. For more information on fair housing presentations, please call 608-257-0853.