Wording you need to avoid in the ads for your rental home or risk being fined $50,000 and more.
You need to know about Fair Housing law to make sure the ads on your rental home are not illegal.
Fair Housing regulations must be followed by all owners. Fair Housing regulations apply to apartments and homes.
You are prohibited from advertising your home in any discriminatory manner. Specifically section 804(c) of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(c) states, "...it is unlawful to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published, any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination."
It does not matter if your ad is on the Internet (Craigslist, website) or in a rental magazine, there's words you must not use.
Some owners have been fined $12,000 for every discriminatory ad they ran plus damages awarded by the court.
Never mention skin color. Do not use words like "black", "white", and "no Hispanics". Stay as far away from race as possible when advertising your home.
Religion should never be used in your ads. It is not legal to use words like "Christians only" or "no Jews".
If you want to advertise the fact that your rental home is in an upscale neighborhood on the North side of town, you would be wise to use a phrase like "desirable neighborhood". Desirable is subjective and relies on interpretation by the individual as to what their definition of desirable is. It is a matter of taste. Much like crayon colors. It is useless arguing what color is the best because such a topic is subjective.
Do not discriminate against individuals with a disability. It is NOT ok to use the phrase "no wheelchairs" or "handicap people need not apply". Advertisements describing the conduct required of residents ("non-smoking", "sober") do not violate the Fair Housing Act. Advertisements containing descriptions of accessibility features are lawful (wheelchair ramp).
Children, the number of children, or parents should not be mentioned in your ad. It is not legal to say "no children" and "adults only". In 2007, a California Housing Rights Center took a landlord to court for not allowing children in his apartment complex. The Housing Rights Center sent in undercover people posing as prospects. The court fined the landlord more than $120,000.
Never mention familial status in your ads. You may not say things like "Parents with less than 2 children only", or "Singles only". Your ads can say things like "no bicycles allowed".
Fair Housing law does not end with your ads but continues through the application process and remain in effect during the entire time a tenant stays in your home.
You need to know about Fair Housing law to make sure the ads on your rental home are not illegal.
Fair Housing regulations must be followed by all owners. Fair Housing regulations apply to apartments and homes.
You are prohibited from advertising your home in any discriminatory manner. Specifically section 804(c) of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(c) states, "...it is unlawful to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published, any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination."
It does not matter if your ad is on the Internet (Craigslist, website) or in a rental magazine, there's words you must not use.
Some owners have been fined $12,000 for every discriminatory ad they ran plus damages awarded by the court.
Never mention skin color. Do not use words like "black", "white", and "no Hispanics". Stay as far away from race as possible when advertising your home.
Religion should never be used in your ads. It is not legal to use words like "Christians only" or "no Jews".
If you want to advertise the fact that your rental home is in an upscale neighborhood on the North side of town, you would be wise to use a phrase like "desirable neighborhood". Desirable is subjective and relies on interpretation by the individual as to what their definition of desirable is. It is a matter of taste. Much like crayon colors. It is useless arguing what color is the best because such a topic is subjective.
Do not discriminate against individuals with a disability. It is NOT ok to use the phrase "no wheelchairs" or "handicap people need not apply". Advertisements describing the conduct required of residents ("non-smoking", "sober") do not violate the Fair Housing Act. Advertisements containing descriptions of accessibility features are lawful (wheelchair ramp).
Children, the number of children, or parents should not be mentioned in your ad. It is not legal to say "no children" and "adults only". In 2007, a California Housing Rights Center took a landlord to court for not allowing children in his apartment complex. The Housing Rights Center sent in undercover people posing as prospects. The court fined the landlord more than $120,000.
Never mention familial status in your ads. You may not say things like "Parents with less than 2 children only", or "Singles only". Your ads can say things like "no bicycles allowed".
Fair Housing law does not end with your ads but continues through the application process and remain in effect during the entire time a tenant stays in your home.
About the Author:
Written By Steve Cody. May you find this article useful in running ads for your rental home and if you ever are in need of additional services in California's Central Valley, visit the biggest Fresno property management company.
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