FAIR HOUSING – IT’S YOUR RIGHT!

 

Fair housing refers to free and equal access to residential housing – i.e. housing choice. According to the federal Fair Housing Act, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, nation origin, disability, or familial status in the sale, rental, and/or financing of dwellings. Additionally, New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination prohibits discrimination of the basis of martial/ domestic partnership/ civil union status, gender expression/ identity, military service, sexual orientation, familial status and source or lawful income/ rent payment.

 

Bloomingdale complies with the federal Fair Housing Act and the Law Against Discrimination. The Borough is committed to promoting fair housing choice for all person.

 

Fair Housing FAQ

What kind of housing is covered by the Fair Housing Act? 

Most housing is covered by the Fair Housing Act. In some circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without the use of a broker, and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.

 

What are some examples of housing discrimination?

  • Refusing to rent or sell housing
  • Falsely denying that housing is available for inspection, sale, or rental
  • Setting different terms, conditions, or privileges for the sale or rental of a dwelling
  • Refusing to let disabled persons make reasonable and necessary modifications to a dwelling or common use area, at the disabled person’s expense
  • Refuse to provide information regarding loans
  • Refusing to rent to a person who has a service animal because of a “no pets” rule
  • Steering persons with one or more children and/or persons who are pregnant away from a housing unit. Even asking how many children a person has can be viewed as discriminatory and so should not be asked.
  • Not offering to show a person who is in a wheelchair an apartment that is not on the ground floor if the person did not ask to only see ground floor apartments
  • Advertising or making any statement indicating a limitation or preference based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. This prohibition against discriminatory advertising applies to single-family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

 

Fair Housing Links

Laws:

New Jersey Law Against Discrimination: https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcr/law.html

Federal Fair Housing Act Link: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-2

 

 

Who can I contact if I believe I’ve been discriminated against?

Complaints related to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or familial status may also be filed directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

 

What information do I need to provide to file a fair housing complaint?

If you suspect that you have been discriminated against with regard to housing, file a complaint as soon as possible because there are time limits on when a complaint can be filed with HUD after an alleged violation.

 

Try to include the following information, if possible, when filing a complaint:

 

  • Your name and address;
  • The name and address of the person(s) or organization your complaint is against;
  • The address or other identifying information of the housing or program your complaint is being filed against;
  • A brief description of what happened that caused you to file the complaint; and
  • The date(s) of the alleged discrimination.

 

How can I file a fair housing complaint?

Fair housing complaints can be filed with HUD by telephone, online, email and by mail.

 

Phone

1-800-669-9777

1-800-927-9275 for TTY users only

 

Online

English: https://portalapps.hud.gov/FHEO903/Form903/Form903Start.action

Spanish: https://portalapps.hud.gov/AdaptivePages/HUD_Spanish/Espanol/complaint/complaint-details.htm

 

Other languages: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/complaint_filing_languages_other_english

 

 

Mail and Email

To submit via mail or email, you will need to download a form and submit it to HUD. The form is found here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint#_How_to_File

 

Complaints can also be filed through the regional office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO):

 

New York Regional Office of FHEO

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

26 Federal Plaza, Room 3532

New York, New York 10278-0068

 

(212) 542-7519

(800) 496-4294

TTY (212) 264-0927

 

Additional Resources

For information about predatory lending:

https://www.state.nj.us/dca/home/fairhousing/predatory_lending.html

 

Fair Housing Guide for Landlords

http://www.equalhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HECP_Landlord_Guide.pdf

 

Fair Housing Guide for Persons with Disabilities

http://www.equalhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/FairHousingGuideforPeoplewithDisabilities.pdf

 

Fair Housing Guide

https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/FHEO_BOOKLET_ENG.PDF

 

Who else can I contact for answers to other questions about fair housing?

Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey

The Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey can assist in answering any fair housing questions as well as provide help in filing a complaint.

 

Address:

131 Main Street

Hackensack, NJ 07601

 

 Phone:

(201) 489-3553

(201) 489-4692

 

 Email:

info@fairhousingnj.org

 

Website: http://www.fairhousingnj.org/