Fair Housing
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Discrimination can be subtle, overt, and often unintentional. As a real estate professional in the District of Columbia, it’s important that you avoid discrimination in order to build lasting relationships with customers and clients. To do this you must be aware of and compliant with the Fair Housing laws, which vary from state to state. In the District of Columbia there are specific Fair Housing laws that govern housing discrimination and must be adhered to by all practicing real estate professionals. The majority of these laws fall under the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977.
The D.C. Human Rights Act is one of the strongest and most comprehensive civil rights laws in the country. It is of particular importance for real estate professionals because it highlights the rights of the protected classes and outlines prohibited discriminatory behavior. Under the Human Rights Act, traits ranging from gender and sexuality to race and religion are protected classes.
Real estate professionals must also pay particular attention to the additional protected classes under the Human Rights Act which include age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, and source of income. Each one of these areas has its own, unique definition under the Human Rights Act. For example, the area of “sexual orientation” includes male or female homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality, by preference or practice, while the area of “family responsibilities” includes a the state of being, or the potential to become, a contributor to the support of a person or persons in a dependent relationship, irrespective of their number. As a real estate professional, it is your responsibility to adhere to these laws in order for you to offer equal protection to all clients.
The D.C. Human Rights Act is one of the strongest and most comprehensive civil rights laws in the country. It is of particular importance for real estate professionals because it highlights the rights of the protected classes and outlines prohibited discriminatory behavior. Under the Human Rights Act, traits ranging from gender and sexuality to race and religion are protected classes.
Real estate professionals must also pay particular attention to the additional protected classes under the Human Rights Act which include age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, and source of income. Each one of these areas has its own, unique definition under the Human Rights Act. For example, the area of “sexual orientation” includes male or female homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality, by preference or practice, while the area of “family responsibilities” includes a the state of being, or the potential to become, a contributor to the support of a person or persons in a dependent relationship, irrespective of their number. As a real estate professional, it is your responsibility to adhere to these laws in order for you to offer equal protection to all clients.