What is the Fair Housing Act, and How Does It Protect Renters in NY?

Federal laws in the US are nothing short of a blessing—more so if we’re talking about the property renters and buyers in this country.

In this blog, we’ll be discussing a federal law that protects NYC apartment renters at a very high margin. We’re talking about the NYC Fair Housing Act.

Put simply, the NYC Fair Housing Act is a federal law that protects tenantsagainst discriminatory behavior during housingdisagreements. The law stipulates that a residentwho seeks to rent an apartment in any part of NY cannot be discriminated against due to their:

Gender
Sexual orientation/preference
Religion
Nationality
Family status
Social status
Disability

In addition to renters’ protection, this law also protects buyers’ rights.

Protected Classes Under the NYC Fair Housing Act

There are 17 protected classes, as mentioned in the NYC Fair Housing Act. It’s illegal to prevent anyone from these classes from purchasing or leasing a house or apartment in NY.

The protected classes also include the category of people who have been discriminated against based on one of the factors mentioned above. This law works within a mixture of state laws to provide a holistic conjunction that includes notes from the New York City Human Rights Laws and the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Equal Opportunity Housing Act.

Illegalities According to the NYC Fair Housing Act

The NYC Fair Housing Act protects you from the following illegal instances:

A landlord refusing to sell or rent a residential property to you due to your class, sex, race, marital status, or religion, among other decimation-prone factors.
They are claiming a higher rent not due to financial reasons but because of discriminative factors.
Discriminating among renters when providing residential liberties, amenities, and facilities.

All of these are illegal, and if you’re experiencing any one or more, you can file a complaint to the National Fair Housing Alliance. Some of the other authorities that accept these complaints and take strict action against the violators include:

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