However, because the Hotline occasionally receives questions related to fair housing, these basic questions and responses are included. Discrimination can take many forms. It can be as direct as a refusal to rent because the applicant is a person of color, disabled, of a certain religion, from another country or because the person has children.
Discrimination can also be indirect.
For example, the apartment complex rule may not appear to be discriminatory on its face but it may be applied in such a way that a protected group suffers more harshly from the rule. If the owner does not have a legitimate business reason for the rule, it may be found discriminatory. Examples of prohibited conduct include failing to inform an applicant of a protected class of the availability of privileges, services or facilities associated with the complex. Also, conduct which discourages members of a protected class from applying for housing directly or by failing to inform applicants who are members of a protected class of the availability of marketing promotions or rent reductions. The fair housing laws cover activities related to the sale, rental, or advertising of dwellings, the provision of brokerage services, or the availability of residential real estate-related transactions.