DC Fair Housing

Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HUD investigates complaints of housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status. HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, along with its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program, investigate approximately 10,000 housing discrimination complaints every year. 

This three-hour course reviews the federal fair housing laws and the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977, discusses the protected classes and traits under each, and examines the numerous activities that constitute unlawful discriminatory acts in housing. This course meets the District of Columbia's mandatory requirement for CE on Fair Housing topics.       

Course highlights include:

• A review of the federal Fair Housing Act and related federal laws that prohibit discrimination in housing based on the seven protected classes of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, familial status, and sex.  
• A review of the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977 and related regulations that prohibit discrimination in housing based on 18 protected traits, including race, color, national origin, religion, disability, familial status, family responsibilities, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, political affiliation, source of income, matriculation, place (of home or business), status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, marital status, age, and personal appearance.
• A look at actual fair housing case studies from across the United States.
• A detailed discussion regarding unlawful discriminatory acts, and acceptable and unacceptable wording in advertisements and other communications.
• A look at the federal and D.C. processes for filing fair housing complaints, including the applicable penalties for federal and D.C. violations.
• Activities and examples to seal in the new information and frame it in everyday context