Opinion ID: 562670
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Solicitation Restrictions under the Fair Housing Act

Text: 116 The Realtors assert that because the trial court found that the ordinances are designed to keep residents from moving, to maintain the status quo and to reduce the ability of home seekers to find homes in the municipalities, Id. at 1093, they had the purpose and effect of making housing unavailable to blacks on account of their race. The Realtors contend that when the purpose of keep[ing] residents from moving is considered in light of the predominantly white population of the municipalities with anti-solicitation ordinances and the fact that many homeseekers are black, the anti-solicitation ordinances are discriminatory both in intent and in effect. 117 With respect to the Realtors' complaint that the ordinances were intended to discriminate against blacks, the trial court concluded that the record is devoid of substantial evidence tending to show that the ordinances were intended to discriminate against blacks or any other racial group. Id. at 1094. We agree that the Realtors have pointed to nothing in the record that would even remotely demonstrate that the purpose of these facially neutral limitations on solicitation was to cause blacks to suffer racial discrimination. 118 The heart of the Realtors' Fair Housing Act challenge to these ordinances is that they had the racially discriminatory effect of preventing black home seekers from finding homes in the municipalities. However, the trial court concluded that: 119 [T]here is no substantial evidence tending to show that the solicitation ordinances have had a racially discriminatory effect. The purpose of the ordinance is to bar from solicitation only those who request it. Therefore the only families barred from receiving solicitations are precisely those who are least likely to offer their homes for sale anyway--families (black and white, newcomers and oldcomers) who have affirmatively indicated that they are not interested in moving or selling or listing their homes and do not want to be bothered by real estate salesmen looking for business. The solicitation ordinances are facially neutral and nondiscriminatory as to race and the evidence failed to establish that they are otherwise with regard to effect or result.Id. at 1094-95. 15 120 In our opinion the trial court's analysis of this issue is persuasive. In particular, we believe it is significant that the only families barred from receiving solicitations are precisely those who are least likely to offer their homes for sale anyway.... Id. at 1094. Consequently, any effect upon the sale of homes will be minimal because the only persons who cannot be contacted under the ordinances are those who have requested that their privacy not be disturbed and thus are not interested in receiving real estate solicitations. 16 In our opinion, the minimal effect the solicitation restrictions impose upon real estate activity causes no discernable discriminatory effect on the potential home buying public, even if it is predominantly black. Thus, the municipalities' limitations on Realtors' solicitation do not violate the Fair Housing Act. 121