Beyond Redlining: The Current State of Housing Discrimination

“We treat everyone equally because we are required to do so by the Fair Housing Act, so we did nothing wrong.”

I hear this from property managers and leasing agents defending conduct that has resulted in lawsuits and administrative actions alleging housing discrimination. This simplistic formulation most likely came from fair housing training the individual received through their employment in residential real estate management, but the takeaway — treat everyone the same — is woefully incorrect and can lead to liability, fair-minded as it sounds.

The Fair Housing Act (FHA), 42 USC 3601 et seq., is arguably the most powerful and far reaching of the federal civil rights statutes passed in the 1960s, yet it is the least understood and utilized of the civil rights laws — housing discrimination lawsuits account for only 2% of all civil rights lawsuits filed in federal courts. Michigan’s civil rights acts, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) and the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act (PDCRA), also contain housing rights provisions that largely track the federal statute. This article introduces some features of the Fair Housing Act that make it such a powerful tool to address civil rights violations by requiring more than merely treating everyone equally.

Read full article here.