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Federal and California fair housing laws protect renters from unlawful discrimination. Here's what you need to know — in plain language.
If you rent housing in California, you have significant legal protections against discrimination — before you move in, during your tenancy, and at renewal. These protections apply whether your landlord is a private individual, a property management company, or a public housing authority.
The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), enacted in 1968 and expanded in 1988, prohibits discrimination in housing based on protected characteristics. California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Unruh Civil Rights Act extend these protections further. Together, these laws cover almost every aspect of your rental experience.
Under federal law, landlords cannot discriminate based on:
California adds additional protections under state law, including:
California law explicitly prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to you simply because you use a housing voucher. "No Section 8" policies are illegal in California. If you've been turned away because of your voucher, that may be a fair housing violation.
Fair housing violations don't always look obvious. Discrimination can happen in many forms:
A landlord tells you a unit is unavailable when it isn't, or simply stops responding to your inquiry after learning something about you.
Being offered a higher rent, a shorter lease, or different deposit requirements than other tenants in similar circumstances.
If you have a disability, landlords are required by law to make reasonable accommodations to rules, policies, or practices — and to allow reasonable modifications to the unit — so you have equal access to your housing. Refusing to do so is a form of discrimination.
Repeated unwanted contact, threatening behavior, or creating a hostile living environment based on a protected characteristic.
A landlord increases your rent, threatens eviction, or reduces services after you make a fair housing complaint or request an accommodation.
If you believe you've experienced housing discrimination, you have several options:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) accepts fair housing complaints through its Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) office. You typically have one year from the date of the discriminatory act to file. Complaints can be submitted at hud.gov/fairhousing or by calling 1-800-669-9777.
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) enforces state fair housing law. You generally have three years from the discriminatory act to file a state complaint. Visit calcivilrights.ca.gov or call 1-800-884-1684.
Before filing a complaint, gather and preserve any evidence you have: emails, texts, written notices, rental applications, advertisements, witness information, and a written record of any verbal conversations with dates and details.
Pro Per Paperwork Pros™ prepares formal reasonable accommodation request letters, denial response letters, and HUD and California Civil Rights Department complaint documents for tenants in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We don't provide legal advice, but we make sure your paperwork is clear, complete, and properly formatted before you submit it.
One of the most important fair housing rights for tenants with disabilities is the right to request a reasonable accommodation — a change in rules, policies, or practices that allows you to have equal access to your housing.
Examples include:
A landlord can only deny an accommodation if it would impose an undue hardship — which is a high legal bar to meet. Silence or delay by a landlord is not the same as a lawful denial.
For a deeper look at reasonable accommodations, see our guide: Reasonable Accommodations in Housing — A Tenant's Right to Fair Treatment.
We prepare accommodation requests, denial responses, and HUD and CRD complaint documents for Alameda and Contra Costa County residents. Attorney fees shouldn't stop you from getting your paperwork right.