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Familial Status Discrimination

It is illegal to discriminate because of familial status in the sale, rental, or financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions.

 

Familial status covers the following:

  • families with children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians;
  • pregnant women; and
  • people securing custody of children under the age of 18

 

Examples of such discrimination include:

  • Housing advertisements stating that children are not wanted
  • Charging families higher rent or related fees because they have a child
  • Restricting families with children to one area of a building or complex
  • Denying housing to families or evicting them because they have a child
  • Administering rules and procedures that unfairly target families with children
  • Denying a mortgage because a person is pregnant or takes maternity leave
  • Charging a higher interest rate because a person is pregnant or takes maternity leave