Hardly anyone intentionally uses a disparaging or discouraging word in the context of his or her work.
From time to time, the real estate community has to be reminded of our duties to the Fair Housing Laws (ensuring equal access to housing opportunities for all people) in addition to our duties to properly characterize a property.
A fair housing organization in Boston has recently brought a lawsuit that accuses several local real estate companies of illegal discrimination in advertising on their Web sites.
The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston said advertisements that used such wording as “professionals only,” “no undergrads please!” and “no security deposit required with good credit and stable employment” violated federal and state laws that protect people against discrimination in housing, according to news reports.
Federal laws prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, family status or national origin, and housing-related advertising that discriminates against prospective renters or homebuyers on the basis of those protected classes is illegal.
In fact, if you receive an offer on your home and ask if the prospective buyers are married, we can’t answer that question. If you want to know what nationality they are, we can’t answer that question, either.
The lawsuit in Boston is eye-catching because its allegations of housing discrimination involve online, rather than newsprint, rental advertisements. Newspapers generally screen advertisements for potential problems, while a lawsuit over Web site advertisements may be the first of its kind.
The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston is a private nonprofit organization that combats housing discrimination in the greater Boston area.
In recent years, we have been advised that descriptors such as “walk-in closets,” “executive homes,” “ideal for children,” or “fabulous view” are troublesome for those who cannot walk, are not executives, are childless or are not sighted.
In our exuberance to promote a property in its best light, the last thing we want to do is to be insensitive to anyone. Let us know.
09-01-2006
