A woman walks into a leasing office with her two young kids and asks for an application. The landlord, trying to be helpful, suggests she might be more comfortable in a larger unit — maybe a first-floor apartment, easier with children.
It sounds reasonable, even thoughtful.
It’s also illegal.
That’s because fair housing laws require housing providers to treat every applicant the same — regardless of family status or any other protected characteristic. April is National Fair Housing Month, reminding us of our responsibility to ensure all renters are treated fairly.
Fair housing is a legal principle that shapes who has access to housing. Protections for tenants apply to how housing is advertised, shown, rented, maintained and managed. The rules are complex, and getting it right matters.
It’s a simple idea: people should have access to the same range of housing choices, regardless of who they are. Federal law establishes seven core protected characteristics — including race, religion, disability and familial status — that housing providers must not consider when making decisions.
What often gets overlooked is how much time and effort responsible landlords put into getting this right. Property owners, managers and their teams invest time to understand how fair housing laws apply to everything from advertising a unit to handling maintenance requests to providing disability-related accommodations, such as a driveway ramp or grab bars in the bathtub.
At the Southern California Rental Housing Association, we provide education to keep up with evolving areas of law. In the past four years, we have trained more than 370 housing providers in fair housing and we have two training sessions this month alone.
In California, fair housing rules are among the strongest in the nation. In recent years, the state has expanded the list of protected characteristics to include things like source of income, meaning housing providers cannot refuse applicants simply because they use a housing voucher. Last year, some Los Angeles landlords were accused of violating the new rules by barring tenants from renting based solely on credit history without considering their Section 8 vouchers.
Other California protected classes include gender identity, gender expression and other categories.
For professional housing providers, compliance is part of basic responsibilities.
We are aware of isolated cases in which housing providers have fallen short. In one situation, a San Diego property management company failed to properly respond to a disability-related housing request. The company agreed to pay a settlement and change its policies to better accommodate tenants.
These situations are the exception, not the rule — but they highlight why fair housing laws exist and why training and consistency matter.
We strongly encourage all landlords to obtain fair housing training. And this training is not just for property managers — it’s for any workers who access your rental property.
Here’s another thought experiment: A landlord contracts with an air conditioning tech to handle some maintenance. While on the property, the tech makes what she thinks are friendly comments about a tenant not speaking English — which results in that tenant feeling uncomfortable. Even if the tech had no bad intentions, the landlord will be responsible for dealing with the tenant’s fair housing concerns.
After all, fair housing is not always straightforward. Laws change, and guidance evolves. Situations arise that require careful judgment.
As we continue to talk about how to address the region’s housing challenges, it’s worth remembering that fair housing requires attention and education.
Responsible housing providers take it seriously, and they invest in training to get it right.
Alan Pentico is the executive director of the Southern California Rental Housing Association.
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