PA fair housing protects against discrimination against:
Age, Race, Color, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Familial Status, National Origin, Disabilities, and Anyone using or training a guide or support animal.
Fair Housing laws make it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on a protected class in any of the following ways:
Refusing to rent or sell housing
Refusing to negotiate for the sale or rental of housing
Making housing unavailable or denying that housing is available
Setting different terms, conditions, or privileges for the sale or rental of housing, a mortgage loan, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, or any other housing transaction
Advertising in a discriminatory way
Threatening or intimidating anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting anyone else in exercising their fair housing rights
Do you feel you discriminated against during your search to buy or rent a home or while trying to sell you home? If so you need to file a complaint with Fair Housing. Here's how:
1. First of all anyone can file a complaint for fair housing, you do not need to be a lawyer nor do you need to hire one, however hiring one is completely within your rights.
2. You can file your complaint with HUD or your District court. If you are filing with HUD, you have up to one year after the discriminatory incident, but if you are filing at a US District court, you have up to 2 years to file.
3. The first thing you will typically do is to file a complaint with HUD. HUD will then attempt to find a resolution and have a conciliation agreement signed through mediation.
If there is no agreement, the parties will then have a proceeding before an Administrative Law Judge or a Civil Action Suite before a District court Judge.
If a pattern of practice of illegal discrimination is found then the DOJ will investigate and prosecute.
In PA there are 2 HUD Offices, one in Philly and one in Pittsburg. Here is the contact info for the Philladelphia office:
Philadelphia Regional Office
The Strawbridge Building
801 Market Street, 12th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 656-0500
Email: Webmanager@hud.gov
Fax: (215) 656-3445
TTY: Dial 7-1-1
Robert Ford, Field Office Director
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Monday through Friday
To file a complaint you have 3 options:
File a complaint online
Call toll-free at (800) 669-9777
Email ComplaintsOffice03@hud.gov
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