Skip to main content

How To File A Federal Fair Housing Claim

Housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, and disability is illegal by federal law. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in the process of trying to rent or buy a home or apartment, you may file a fair housing complaint.

There are several ways to file a complaint.

You can file an immediate complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), the federal agency which has jurisdiction over matters of fair housing and lending.

To file a complaint, you can call the HUD toll-free number, 1-800-669-9777.
Or you can file your complaint by filling out their online form [http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/online-complaint.cfm].

Or you can send a complaint by mail. The HUD website contains the HUD complaint form, and you may wish to accompany your complaint form with a letter. A letter to HUD should including the following information:

• Your name and address
• The name and address of the person your complaint is about
• The address of the house or apartment you were trying to rent or buy
• The date when this incident occurred
• A short description of what happened

The HUD complaint form may be accessed here [http://www.hud.gov/utilities/intercept.cfm?/offices/adm/hudclips/forms/files/903-1.pdf]. Fill it out, and mail it to the address:

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Room 5204
451 Seventh St. SW
Washington, DC 20410-2000

Not all HUD housing complaints are handled by HUD. Certain states have equivalent housing agencies to which HUD may refer your complaint.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SunTrust $21Million Settlement with DOJ

This past Thursday, Businessweek covered a massive settlement in a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in SunTrust’s lending practices. The suit, filed by the US DOJ, was filed in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, VA, alleging more than 20,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers were charged more than similarly-situated and qualified non-Hispanic white borrowers, between 2005 and 2009. The suit alleged that minority borrowers in 75 geographic markets from Virginia Beach, VA to San Francisco, CA, paid more in loan fees, or were charged higher interest rates based solely on race or national origin. A consent order filed with the complaint says SunTrust denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to the settlement. "SunTrust strongly believes in the principles of fair lending," company spokesman Mike McCoy in Atlanta said. "We are pleased to have reached a settlement and put this matter behind us." Settlements like this come as a surprise, considering the...
6 comments
Read more

Housing Discrimination Alive and Well in the 21st Century

Some people are in denial that in this day and age, discrimination simply does not exist anymore. Taking things at face value, one can see how an individual may be lulled into a false sense of security – legislation designed to protect minorities, affirmative action, et cetera, exist for the advancement of colored peoples in this nation. However, according to a recent study by the Consumer Action group , all is not fair in home and housing. Consumer Action contacted 5,000 community organizations across the country, compiling information from 549 respondents, who reported “serious issues with housing discrimination.” The survey shows that immigrants, the disabled, and families with children aren’t welcome in some places, and that “immigrants face the greatest hardships in finding legal recourse for housing discrimination.” One reason, Consumer Action claims, may be cultural barriers. Non-English-speaking minorities could be left out in the cold by unfair housing practices. The study ...
4 comments
Read more

Legislators Pass Bills to Expedite Short Sale Process

On January 13, Illinois Senate Bill 1259 was signed by Governor Pat Quinn, requiring banks and lending institutions to respond to a short sale offer by a homeowner within 90 days. The bill also gives courts the authority to hold banks accountable to the 90 day response provision. Previously, the court had no jurisdiction over banks, allowing them unprecedented control over the foreclosure process. "Families are not losing their homes to foreclosure because they are dead beats refusing to pay their mortgages," Illinois State Senator Silverstein said on a news release published on his website . "They are people who are struggling to get through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, we are seeing banks stalling the process of a short sale in order to push through foreclosure proceedings, giving families limited options to get out of their mortgage debt." In 2010, the number of new short sales late that year had i ncreased nearly 83 p...
4 comments
Read more