The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities.
Diversity & Fair Housing Resources
It’s the Law
It is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing, including against individuals seeking a mortgage or housing assistance, or in other housing-related activities. The Fair Housing Act prohibits this discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. A variety of other federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit discrimination in housing and community development programs and activities.
What Does Housing Discrimination Look Like?
It is illegal to take any of the following actions because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin:
- Refuse to rent or sell housing
- Refuse to negotiate for housing
- Refuse to make housing unavailable
- Set different terms, conditions, or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
- Provide a person different housing services or facilities
- Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale, or rental
For more information and examples, visit Examples of Housing Discrimination.
It is illegal to take any of the following actions based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin:
- Refuse to make a mortgage loan or provide other financial assistance for a dwelling
- Refuse to provide information regarding loans
- Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees
- Discriminate in appraising a dwelling
- Condition the availability of a loan on a person’s response to harassment
- Refuse to purchase a loan
For more information about discrimination in mortgage lending, visit Fair Lending.
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If you believe you have experienced Housing Discrimination
It is important to know that filing a complaint is free, and you are not required to obtain a lawyer to assist you in this process.
- The term “protected class” refers to groups of people legally protected from discrimination against them due to a shared characteristic (e.g., race, disability, or sexual orientation).
- The U.S. federal, Colorado, and Local Counties cover different protected classes. The chart below shows which protected classes are covered under each governing body.
- If you belong to a protected class and experienced discrimination, where you file a complaint will depend on the protected class you belong to.
Federal Level Complaints
File a complaint through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development: HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) investigates complaints, which may be one or both of the following types: Discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (including housing that is privately owned and operated); Discrimination and other civil rights violations in housing and community development programs, including those funded by HUD.
Learn More: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint
Colorado State Level Complaints
File a complaint through the Colorado Civil Rights Department: The Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD) is charged with enforcement of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). CADA prohibits discrimination based on protected class in employment, housing, and places of public accommodation.
Learn More: https://ccrd.colorado.gov/
Local County Level Complaints
- Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority: https://www.apcha.org/180/APCHA
- Adams County: https://www.adcogov.org/
- Boulder County: https://www.bouldercounty.org/
- Crested Butte / Gunnison County: https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/620/Crested-Butte
- Denver County: https://www.denvergov.org/Home
- Telluride / San Miguel County: https://www.sanmiguelcountyco.gov/
Unsure If You've Been Discriminated Against?
If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies as a Fair Housing violation, you can contact these two agencies.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development toll-free or at [email protected].
Denver Metro Fair Housing Center, which is active in seven counties at 720-279-4291 to speak to a housing provider. They will investigate and help determine if you have experienced discrimination, or otherwise provide you with information and assistance.
Across the country and in Colorado, REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. This also includes understanding and abiding by the Fair Housing Act at all times.
Additional Resources
To find a REALTOR® who speaks a language other than English, you can use the Find a REALTOR® Tool
https://www.coloradoREALTOR®s.com/consumers/find-a-REALTOR®/.
Housing Financial Resources
The state of Colorado and many counties have programs that can assist consumers with grants to purchase a home, pay for their mortgage, and help with energy bills. To find out what programs you or your client may qualify for, please review this helpful Colorado Resource Guide. If you encounter any links that have expired or you have resources that should be added, please contact Holly Krell at [email protected].
Find a Community
Colorado is home to many networks that support various individuals working in the real estate industry. We encourage you to visit and connect with the networks below.
Asian Real Estate Association of America - AREAA
AREAA is dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian American communities by creating a powerful national voice for housing and real estate professionals that serve this dynamic market.
LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
The mission of the Alliance Chapter Program is to provide local gathering points for LGBTQ+ and allied real estate and housing industry practitioners. We want to enrich members’ lives through education and networking opportunities that cultivate and grow their businesses and enhance their professional lives.
National Association of Real Estate Brokers - NAREB
The purpose of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers® is to enhance the professional and business conditions of NAREB® Realtist® members by strengthening the consumer capacity of Black, minority, and emerging target market segments that Realtists® serve. And by promoting the real estate industry in general, utilizing economic, political, legal, and social leverage to remediate disparate and discriminatory housing and property ownership policies and practices prevailing in the United States.
- National: https://www.nareb.com/
- Denver Chapter: https://www.nareb.com/denver-realtist-assocation/
- Colorado Springs Chapter: https://www.nareb.com/colorado-springs-realtist-association/
National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® - NAHREP®
NAHREP® is The Voice for Hispanic Real Estate® and proud champions of homeownership for the Hispanic community. Homeownership is the symbol of the American Dream, the cornerstone of wealth creation and a stabilizing force for working families. Our role as trusted advisors and passionate advocates is to help more Hispanic families achieve the American Dream in a sustainable way that empowers them for generations to come.
- National: https://nahrep.org/
- Denver Chapter: https://nahrepdenver.org/
- Northern Colorado Chapter: https://nahrepnortherncolorado.org/
- Southern Colorado Chapter: https://nahrepsoutherncolorado.org/
Women’s Council Of REALTORS® - WCR
A network of successful REALTORS®, advancing women as business leaders in the industry and in the communities we serve.
- Colorado State Network: https://www.wcr.org/network-sites/colorado/
- North Metro Denver Network: https://www.wcr.org/network-sites/colorado/north-metro-denver/
- Northern Colorado Network: https://www.wcr.org/network-sites/colorado/northern-colorado/
- Mile High Network: https://www.wcr.org/network-sites/colorado/mile-high/
Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals - VAREP
This Association’s members work to increase sustainable homeownership, financial-literacy education, VA loan awareness, and economic opportunity for the active-military and veteran communities.
File a Complaint
CAR Professional Services will accept complaints alleging violations of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics when purchasing or renting housing.