Fair Housing Laws
Fair Housing Act
Here's what you need to know about how the federal Fair Housing Act can protect your rights:
Here's what you need to know about how the federal Fair Housing Act can protect your rights:
- The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits housing discrimination based on race or color, religion, sex, family status, national origin, or disability.
- The FHA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including those with severe breathing problems.
- The FHA is important. It allows people with breathing disabilities to seek reasonable accommodations from owners and operators. This is true for most housing in the United States. It provides tenants with a way to address the serious health hazards posed by secondhand smoke that infiltrates their housing.
Download information about the federal Fair Housing Act.
Download an analysis of how the federal FHA applies to situations involving secondhand smoke in apartments.
Download an independent analysis of the authority of Housing Authorities and Section 8 multiunit housing owners to adopt smoke-free policies in their residential units.
Filing an FHA Complaint
If you believe that your rights under the FHA have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Office of Fair Housing of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
You can download the FHA complaint form and mail it directly to your local HUD office or you can file your complaint online via the HUD web site.
Maine Human Rights Act
Here's what you need to know about how the Maine Human Rights Act can protect your rights:
- The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in housing on account of physical disability.
- Discrimination includes the refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services when those accommodations are necessary to give that person equal opportunity to use and enjoy the housing.