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Washington, D.C. 20036

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Fair Housing

Freedom from discrimination when renting, buying, financing or insuring a place to live is not a privilege. It is your right under the law.

The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate against any person based on:

• Race
• Color
• National Origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial Status (e.g., single woman with children)
• Physical or Mental Disability

Local jurisdictions, such as Washington, D.C., have additional classes of protection prohibiting discrimination based on:

• Age
• Marital Status
• Personal Appearance
• Place of Residence/Business
• Sexual Orientation
• Family Responsibility
• Political Affiliation
• Matriculation (if you are enrolled in school)
• Source of Income
• Victim of an intra-family offense (domestic violence survivor)

The ERC publishes information for distribution, offers training, writes or edits manuals, performs advocacy, counsels individuals, helps victims file complaints, conducts research and develops and executes investigations to stop illegal discrimination in housing. The ERC has performed these tasks with excellence for 25 years.

In recent years, ERC research has discovered an epidemic of discrimination against D.C. Housing Choice Voucher holders. The ERC investigated diligently and filed numerous complaints and lawsuits against violators. The results were extraordinary and depicted the widespread discrimination against low-income tenants who use Housing Choice Vouchers.   

The ERC’s settlement opened up hundreds of apartment units in the District of Columbia to persons who use Housing Choice Vouchers to cover a portion of their monthly rent. Follow up monitoring now reveals widespread landlord compliance with the law protecting voucher holders.

There are more than 55 million people in the United States with disabilities. More than half of that group have mobility disabilities and that group is growing as our population ages. In 2004, in response to complaints about the availability of accessible housing for persons with disabilities, the ERC conducted research that demonstrated widespread disregard by apartment developers of the federal accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

As a result of this research, the ERC began an enforcement initiative to require developers to build new accessible apartments and condominium complexes and to require the "retrofitting" of existing properties to make them more accessible. To date, the ERC's initiative has resulted in nearly 15,000 existing apartment and condominium units all across the country being made more accessible and has caused the design and construction industries to reevaluate and revamp how they operate in order to comply with the FHA.

If you believe that you or someone you know has been the victim of housing discrimination based on any of the characteristics protected by either federal or local laws, contact the Equal Rights Center for immediate assistance. You may e-mail the ERC at info@equalrightscenter.org or call (202) 234-3062.

Acceso a la Igualdad de Vivienda