The Fair Housing Act and the fair housing amendments refer to Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and later additions. Title VIII as set forth in 1968 prevented discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin in the selling and renting of housing. The Act did not apply to individuals selling or renting three or less houses and apartments. In application, Title VIII prevented discrimination not just in the sale or renting of housing, but also in advertisement, terms and other discrete ways of discriminating. Title VIII was amended in 1974 to include discrimination on the basis of sex, and in 1988, further amendments prohibited discrimination based on familial status and disabilities.
For more information on the Fair Housing Act, click here.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]