13.4 Discriminatory Practices

13.4 Discriminatory Practices aetrahan Thu, 05/04/2023 - 14:31

The FHA’s scope reaches to a variety of discriminatory practices. These include refusal to rent or negotiate,1  false representation of availability, steering,2  retaliation, coercion, intimidation, threats, interference, discriminatory advertising, rehabilitation of housing development,3  brokerage services,4  and poorer municipal services.5

The FHA also prohibits practices of particular relevance to tenants. This includes discriminatory terms, conditions, or service provisions (including refusal to allow early lease termination to tenant with disabilities,6  higher security deposits for members of a protected class,7  discriminatory maintenance or delays in repairs,8  and no-children policies9 ) and discriminatory eviction practices (including eviction of minorities for late payment of rent when landlord had not evicted other tenants who paid late,10  evicting white tenants who associate with Blacks,11  and evicting tenants seeking to become foster parents12 ).

  • 1HUD v. Pheasant Ridge, HUD ALJ 05-94-0845-8 (10/25/96), FH-FL Rptr. ¶ 25,123, 1996 WL 638029 (assessing Section 8 landlord $50,452 damages for failure to rent to siblings with mental illnesses).
  • 2Zuch v. Hussey, 394 F. Supp. 1028 (E.D. Mich. 1975), aff’d in relevant part, 547 F. 2d 1168 (6th Cir. 1977).
  • 3Brown v. Artery Organization, 654 F. Supp. 1106 (D.D.C. 1987).
  • 4United States v. Balistrieri, 981 F. 2d 916 (7th Cir. 1992) (real estate agent showed Black apartment seekers fewer units).
  • 5Campbell v. City of Berwyn, 815 F. Supp. 1138 (N.D. Ill. 1993); cf. Hawkins v. Town of Shaw, 437 F. 2d 1286 (5th Cir. 1971), aff’d on rehearing en banc 461 F. 2d 1171 (5th Cir. 1972); United Farm Workers of Fla. Hous. Project v. City of Delray Beach, 493 F. 2d 799 (5th Cir. 1974). But see Vercher v. Harrisburg Hous. Auth., 454 F. Supp. 423 (M.D. Pa. 1978).
  • 6Samuelson v. Mid-Atl. Realty Co., 947 F. Supp. 756 (D. Del. 1996).
  • 724 C.F.R. § 100.203(a).
  • 824 C.F.R. § 65(b)(2).
  • 9Betsey v. Turtle Creek Assocs., 736 F.2d 983 (4th Cir. 1984).
  • 10Khamaja v. Wyatt, 494 F. Supp. 302, 303 (W.D.N.Y. 1980).
  • 11Woods-Drake v. Lundy, 667 F. 2d 1198, 1201 (5th Cir. 1982); Bill v. Hodges, 628 F.2d 844 (4th Cir. 1980) (§ 1982 also prohibits such evictions).
  • 12Gorski v. Troy, 929 F.2d 1183 (7th Cir. 1991).