Fair Housing

The North Carolina Fair Housing Act applies to the sale, rental and financing of residential housing. Apartments, houses, mobile homes and even vacant lots, to be used for residential real estate, are covered by the Fair Housing Act.
Who is protected under the state and Federal Fair Housing Laws?

Seven (7) Protected Classes

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• National Origin
• Handicapping Condition
• Families with Children

Definition of Discrimination

The act of treating someone differently in a housing transaction on account of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, families with children and handicapping condition.

Examples of Discrimination

• A property manager refuses to rent an apartment to a single woman, but he will rent the apartment to a single man.
• A landlord refuses to rent an apartment to a blind woman because she has a seeing eye dog.
• A landlord evicts a white tenant from her mobile home because her black friends visit her there.
• A landlord refuses to move a disabled tenant to a larger unit to accommodate the tenant’s need for a live-in aide.

Disability Rights in Housing

Defining Disability

The Fair Housing Act defines a person with a disability as an individual who:

• Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one, or more, major life activities;
• Has a record of such impairment;
• Is regarded as having such impairment.

Multifamily housing built after March 13, 1991 must be accessible and comply with the Fair Housing Act’s design and construction requirements:

• Make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services;
• Allow for reasonable modifications;
• Design and build appropriately (multifamily);
• Do not ask unlawful questions regarding a disability.