Housing Discrimination Complaints on the Rise

An increasing number of people are filing housing discrimination complaints.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) logged 10,328 complaints last year, an increase of 12 percent over 2005 and the highest number since HUD began keeping track in 1990.

The 1968 Fair Housing Act, amended in 1988, bans discrimination in the housing market based on disability, race, sex, national origin, religion, skin color or whether a family has children. The law covers rentals, purchases and financing.

Reasons for the growing number of discrimination complaints vary, housing officials say. Some areas are dealing with new waves of immigrants. Others have old houses that aren’t readily accessible to the disabled. But the increase also could be a result of HUD’s greater enforcement efforts, housing officials say.

Here’s what happens after a complaint is filed:
HUD is required by law to finish investigating each complaint within 100 days. It must work with the complainant and the respondent to try to reach a conciliation agreement.
After investigating, HUD can either dismiss a case or decide there is evidence the respondent might have violated the Fair Housing Act.
If HUD charges the respondent with a violation, the case goes before an administrative law judge, unless either party elects to have it heard in federal court. In court, Department of Justice attorneys represent the complainant.
If the court finds a discriminatory housing practice has occurred or is about to occur, it can award actual and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees.

Source: USA Today, Deborah Barfield Berry (09/28/2007)