U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

GETTING UNCLE SAM TO ENFORCE YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS

WHEN AND WHERE TO FILE A COMPLAINT HOUSING

Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or family status (having children) is illegal. On such a basis, it is illegal to:

If you think you have been discriminated against:

or if you wish to complain about advertisements that say housing is available only to persons of a certain race, color, national origin, sex, or religion, you may file a complaint with the nearest Fair Housing Enforcement Center of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or with:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 5204
Washington, DC 20410-2000
(202) 619-8041
Hot line: (800) 669-9777, (202) 708-0836
TTY: (800) 927-9275
Fax: (202) 708-1425
www.hud.gov

For more information about how to file a complaint or to obtain forms, call the Fair Housing Clearinghouse at (800) 343-3442.

You may file suit, at your expense, in federal district court or state court. You may bring suit even after filing a complaint, if you have not signed a conciliation agreement and an administrative law judge has not started a hearing. You must file suit within 2 years of the alleged discriminatory action.

Finally, you may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, which may step in if a pattern or practice of discrimination appears to exist, or if the denial of rights to a group of persons raises an important public issue. Send the complaint to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 514-4713
Fax: (202) 514-1116
www.usdoj.gov

If you think you have been discriminated against in seeking real estate broker services, where such services include credit referral, you should also send a complaint to:

Federal Trade Commission
Bureau of Consumer Protection
FTC Building
Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
(202) 326-2222
TTY: (202) 326-2050
Fax: (202) 326-2050
www.ftc.gov

Neither HUD nor the Justice Department has authority to act in some instances of discrimination, such as those that occur in the sale or rental of a single-family home by a private individual who owns three or fewer such units and does not advertise or use a broker, or in the rental of a room or apartment in a dwelling containing four or fewer units, if the owner lives in one of them.