Residential Rental Property Discrimination Resolution Guide
If you are a victim of housing discrimination (for example, if a landlord refuses to rent to you because of your race or national origin), you may have several legal remedies, including:
• Recovery of out-of-pocket losses.
• An injunction prohibiting the unlawful practice.
• Access to housing that the landlord denied you.
• Damages for emotional distress.
• Civil penalties or punitive damages.
• Attorney’s fees.
Sometimes, a court may order the landlord to take specific action to stop unlawful discrimination. For example, the landlord may be ordered to advertise vacancies in newspapers published by ethnic minority groups, or to place fair housing posters in the rental office.
A number of resources are available to help resolve housing discrimination problems:
• Local fair housing organizations (often known as fair housing councils). look in the white (business) and yellow pages of the phone book. The national Fair housing Alliance maintains a searchable database
of local organizations that advocate for fair housing at www.Fairhousing.org.
• Local California apartment association chapters. Look in the white (business) and yellow pages of the phone book. The California Apartment Association maintains a list of local apartment association chapters at www.caanet.org.
• Local government agencies. look in the white pages of the phone book under City or County Government Offices, or call the offices of local elected officials (for example, your city council representative or your county supervisor).
• The California department of fair employment and Housing investigates housing discrimination complaints (but not other kinds of landlord-tenant problems). The department’s housing enforcement unit can be reached at (800) 233-3212 TTY (800) 700-2320. You can learn about the department’s complaint process at www.dfeh.ca.gov.
• The U.S. department of Housing and Urban development (HUD) enforces the federal fair housing law, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, familial status, and handicap (disability). To contact HUD, look in the white pages of the phone book under United States Government Offices, or go to www.hud.gov.
• Legal aid organizations provide free legal advice, representation, and other legal services in noncriminal cases to economically disadvantaged persons. Legal aid organizations are located throughout the state. Look in the yellow pages of the phone book under Attorneys, or go to www. lawhelpcalifornia.org/CA/statedirectory.cfm. The legal Aid Association of California also maintains a directory of legal aid organizations at www.calegaladvocates.org.
• Private attorneys. You may be able to hire a private attorney to take legal action against a landlord who has discriminated against you. For the names of attorneys who specialize in housing discrimination cases, call your county bar association or an attorney referral service.
You must act quickly if you believe that a landlord has unlawfully discriminated against you. The time limits for filing housing discrimination complaints are short. For example, a complaint to the department of Fair employment and housing must be filed within one year from the date of the discriminatory act. (50) First, write down what happened, including dates and the names of those involved. Then, contact one of the resources listed above for advice and help.
50 Government Code Section 12980(b).
This is a blog post for Real Estate Professionals, Investors, Landlord, Property Manager, and Property Management Companies. Tenant Guide to Resolving Residential Rental Property Discrimination Problems is brought to you by SimplifyEm Pay Rent Online and Property Management Software
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