4 ms·
In the US a prospective tenant who was discriminated against may have a civil cause of action under the fair housing act. They can drag the landlord through a
by D13Fd 4y ago
In the US a prospective tenant who was discriminated against may have a civil cause of action under the fair housing act.
They can drag the landlord through a federal court case. I guess the landlord could plead the fifth at deposition, if there was something criminal involved, but that will probably only help the plaintiff. Remedies include damages and attorneys fees, which can be large.
As a landlord, you probably aren’t going to be able to just brush off an FHA claim. Even if you ultimately prevail, it’s lilely to be a big, expensive hassle.
- haunter 4y agoSounds like incredibly hard to prove https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_issues_for_consumers/everydaylaw0/real_estate/renting_a_home/fair_housing_act/ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resource... >Is a landlord allowed to discriminate in the selection of tenants? >That depends on how you define “discriminate.” The landlord isn’t required to take all applicants. He or she can use legal criteria to select tenants, such as their past history of tenancy, the amount of income they have with which to pay the rent, their credit history, and their past criminal record. The landlord may also use personal criteria in selecting tenants, such as whether they have purple hair or nose rings. In some places, a landlord may even refuse to rent to certain people because of their occupation. But the law has made many other forms of discrimination unlawful.