[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-256438-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":81,"doc-detail-256438-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","practice-fair-housing-year-round-fair-housing-month-overview","Practice Fair Housing Year Round - Fair Housing Month Overview","","Fair housing coverage explains how the Fair Housing Act of 1968 extends discrimination protections into housing purchases, sales, rentals, and financing, and how later amendments added familial status and disability. It outlines HUD’s enforcement approach expanding protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, highlights NAR’s longstanding support, and clarifies practical liability through “buyer love letters” that may reveal protected characteristics. The guide then focuses on landlord responsibilities: compliant advertising and avoiding steering, objective applicant screening with written policies, occupancy guidelines aligned to local codes, and reasonable accommodations and modifications.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/practice-fair-housing-year-round-fair-housing-month-overview/256438/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/practice-fair-housing-year-round-fair-housing-month-overview/256438.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Sophia Brooks","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-09-13",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the Fair Housing Act prohibit?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It prohibits discrimination in the purchase, sale, rental, or financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex, and it was amended to include familial status and disability.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does HUD’s announcement affect fair housing protections?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"HUD stated it would administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, expanding civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals seeking housing or housing-related services.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why can buyer “love letters” create fair housing risk for sellers?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"They can contain personal information that reveals protected characteristics such as race, religion, or familial status, which could be used directly or through unconscious bias when deciding whether to accept or reject an offer.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},256438,1789303839,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,89,94,99,104,109,114,118,123],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":90,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":95,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":100,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":105,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":110,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":115,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},18,30,"letters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":126},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":128},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":129,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":22,"category_id":115,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":136,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":26},962084925636,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","5/12/2021 Practice Fair Housing Year Round  \nREAL ESTATE  \nPractice Fair Housing Year Round  \nAmanda Oboza Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® Published 11:50 a. m. ET May 5, 2021  \nApril is recognized as being Fair Housing Month. To observe and honor it, the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® ran a series offair housing articles throughout the month. Furthermore, a new fair housing resource section of the website www.lansingrealestate.com was launched. Please read on for an overview of some of the important topics covered.  \nThe Fair Housing Act and Protected Classes  \nThe Fair Housing Act of 1968, which was officially signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, extended the basic discrimination protections within the 1964 Civil Rights Act into the housing market. It explicitly prohibits discrimination in the purchase, sale, rental, or financing of housing—private or public—based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex. The act was amended in 1988 to also include familial status and disability.  \nIn the past, discrimination based on sex referred to biological sex. Sexual orientation and gender identity were not explicitly included. This February, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it will “administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.” This move effectively expands civil rights protections to LGBTQ individuals seeking housing and housing-related services.  \n“The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has long championed LGBTQ rights in the housing market, first calling for expanded protections in 2011,” said NAR President Charlie Oppler, a REALTOR® from Franklin Lakes, N.J., and the CEO of Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty.“There are few greater human needs than housing, and to exclude LGBTQ individuals from the protections afforded to other Americans is cruel. This is a just and historic decision by HUD.”  \nLiability Letters  \n[https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/marketplace/real-estate/2021/05/05/practice-fair-housing-year-round/4956141001/ 1/4](https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/marketplace/real-estate/2021/05/05/practice-fair-housing-year-round/4956141001/ 1/4)  \n5/12/2021 Practice Fair Housing Year Round  \nReal estate is an emotional business, and a buyer letter—referred to in the industry as a buyer “love letter” —can definitely appeal to a seller’s emotional side.  \nNAR explains that buyer “love letters” can “actually pose fair housing risks because they often contain personal information and reveal characteristics of the buyer, such as race, religion, or familial status, which could then be used, knowingly or through unconscious bias, as an unlawful basis for a seller’s decision to accept or reject an offer.”  \nAs an example, NAR says,“consider where a potential buyer writes to the seller that they can picture their children running down the stairs on Christmas morning for years to come in the house.” The association explains,“this statement not only reveals the potential buyer’s familial status, but also their religion, both of which are protected characteristics under fair housing laws.”  \nIf a seller accepts or rejects the offer based on that information alone, it would be a violation of the Fair Housing Act. And a seller who discriminates against a buyer – knowingly or unknowingly--could face financial penalties if the buyer files a successful fair housing complaint or lawsuit.  \nPracticing Fair Housing as a Landlord  \nOwning rental properties can be a great way to generate passive income, but it’s also a big responsibility. There are many rules and regulations to follow, and probably none are more important than federal, state, and local fair housing laws.  \nWhile there are many regulations, codes, and laws that landlords must follow, there are few areas that tend to create most fair housing issues—advertising and “steering,” applicati","cbCaifPFQbJNq6i8","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifPFQbJNq6i8","pdf",106950,"English","# The Fair Housing Act and Protected Classes\n## Protected characteristics and expansion to LGBTQ protections\n# Liability Letters\n## Buyer “love letters” and disclosure risks\n# Practicing Fair Housing as a Landlord\n## Advertising and steering\n## Screening applicants\n## Occupancy guidelines\n## Accommodations and modifications","[{\"question\":\"What does the Fair Housing Act prohibit?\",\"answer\":\"It prohibits discrimination in the purchase, sale, rental, or financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex, and it was amended to include familial status and disability.\"},{\"question\":\"How does HUD’s announcement affect fair housing protections?\",\"answer\":\"HUD stated it would administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, expanding civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals seeking housing or housing-related services.\"},{\"question\":\"Why can buyer “love letters” create fair housing risk for sellers?\",\"answer\":\"They can contain personal information that reveals protected characteristics such as race, religion, or familial status, which could be used directly or through unconscious bias when deciding whether to accept or reject an offer.\"}]","Practice Fair Housing Year Round - Fair Housing Month Overview | PDF"]