October 11, 2011
On occasion you’ll find reports here about the latest actions brought by HUD against those in the housing industry suspected of violating the Fair Housing Act, RESPA, and other federal anti-discrimination laws.
We write about these things for two reasons–one is to raise awareness of the issues, but the other is to remind FHA loan applicants and borrowers that there is recourse when anti-discrimination laws are violated.
One of the reasons the FHA and HUD are able to bring legal actions against those who break these laws is because the victims file a complaint–the victim is often the first line of defense against those who discriminate. Without reporting the problem, the FHA and HUD have a much tougher time preventing housing discrimination.
Many of the headlines we report have to do with rental issues, but the real estate sales industry is not immune. Consider a recent press release from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which announced “(HUD) is charging Metro Net Realty, LLC, a Queens, NY, real estate agency, and a salesperson for the agency with violating the Fair Housing Act by placing advertisements on Craigslist that discriminated against families with children.”
“HUD brings the charge on behalf of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), alleging that the advertisements that stated ‘Looking For: Mature couple or single with no children’ were evidence of an effort to exclude children from housing.”
The press release reminds, “The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to refuse to rent to a family because they have children, including posting or publishing online statements or advertisements that discriminate against families with children. Real estate companies and agents are prohibited from placing advertisements that exclude children from housing.”
Discrimination comes in many different types–this is one kind of discrimination some might not even realize is illegal and prohibited under federal law.
When applying for an FHA home loan, anyone who suspects they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 to get advice and report the incident. FHA and HUD have aggressive policies to prevent qualified borrowers from being discriminated against, but knowing the violations have occurred is half the battle.
Joe Wallace has been specializing in military and personal finance topics since 1995. His work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association. He was Managing editor for www.valoans.com for (8) years and is currently the Associate Editor for FHANewsblog.com.
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