Fair Housing Month

April is Fair Housing Month

As we recognize Fair Housing Month, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency is committed to furthering its mission as the state's leader in affordable housing. We thank the OHFA Board, our industry partners, and our staff for their continued support and service.

April is a designated time to recognize the progress made toward ensuring equal access to housing for all individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. Enacted by Congress in 1968, the Fair Housing Act applies to housing and housing related-activities, including the following:

Apartment and home rentals
Real Estate Sales
Mortgage lending
Homeowners insurance

'What is Fair Housing?' – Stories of Home Blog Post

What is Fair Housing?

Discrimination in housing and lending comes in all types of forms and does not require someone blatantly slamming a door or making a disparaging remark. In fact, many renters and homeowners may not recognize they are being discriminated against if their experience lacks blatant prejudice. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), two million instances of housing discrimination are estimated to take place each year across the nation. Despite this, less than two percent of those instances are reported as many renters and homebuyers do not fully understand what activities are illegal under the Fair Housing Act.

Examples of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act include:

Refusal to rent or sell housing
Refusal to negotiate for housing
Making housing unavailable
Setting different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a property
Providing different housing services or facilities
Falsely denying housing is available for inspection, sale or rental of a property
Persuading owners to sell or rent their home for profit
Denying access to or membership in a facility or service related to the sale of housing
Advertising or making any statement that indicates a limitation or preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. This prohibition applies to single family and owner-occupied housing that is otherwise exempt from the Fair Housing Act.

Ohio Civil Rights Commission

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission enforces Ohio fair housing laws by investigating housing discrimination complaints under the federal Fair Housing Act and other civil rights complaints related to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-funded programs. Anyone wanting to file a complaint should visit How to File a Charge.

Real Estate Professional Resources

The Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing oversees the licensing and regulation of real estate professionals, who are required to study fair housing laws to receive and maintain their licenses throughout their careers.

OHFA offers a three-hour continuing education course on Fair Housing Foundations (Civil Rights). This course will take a historical view at fair housing and civil rights. The course will also go into the details of current housing, advertising and lending laws. Case studies, housing statistics, videos and pictures are used to present the information in an interesting format. To register for an in-person, live webinar, or on-demand training visit our website.

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is tasked with administering and enforcing federal laws and policies to ensure all Americans have equal access to housing.

To learn more about the Office and fair housing rights, or to file a fair housing violation complaint, click here. You may also contact the Housing Discrimination Hotline via email at fheo_webmanager@hud.gov or at 1-800-669-9777 (Voice) or 1-800-927-9275 (TTY).