Fair Housing Laws

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Big thanks to Multnomah County for sharing this important information during Fair Housing Month:

April is Fair Housing Month. Last week, Multnomah County highlighted the work of the Housing Stability Team which works to ensure people who already have homes don’t lose them. And this week we’re making sure everyone knows what laws protect them from housing discrimination in Multnomah County.

Help keep our community safe and ensure equity by sharing, printing and posting the poster below in any area where people may see it.

Download, print and post the fair housing infographic poster.

Infographic text:

There are fair housing laws to protect you in Multnomah County

The federal Fair Housing Act and the Fair Housing Amendment Acts, Oregon law, and Multnomah County protect you from discrimination.

No one can discriminate against you because of:

  • Race
  • Color
  • National Origin
  • Marital status
  • Source of income
  • Religion
  • Gender
  • Sexual orientation including gender identity
  • Family status
  • Domestic violence
  • Disability
  • If you are age 18 or older

Fair housing laws apply to:

  • Individual homes, duplexes, multifamily housing (apartments, condos, and townhomes), retirement housing, adult foster homes and long term care facilities, homeless shelters and other nonprofit housing.
  • Sales, rentals, mortgage lending, building and construction, home insurance, appraisals, and inspections, land use regulations, zoning, as well as neighbor-on-neighbor harassment.

You might be experiencing discrimination if:

  • Someone refuses to rent to you or terminates a lease because you’re in one of the groups above.
  • A landlord creates different terms or standards for different tenants.
  • A landlord refuses to make reasonable accommodations for a tenant with a disability.

Who to contact if discrimination happens:
Call the Fair Housing Council of Oregon(link is external) at (800) 424-3247 ext. 2 if you believe that you or someone else have been victims of illegal housing discrimination. Remember to: 1) Write down what happened, including dates, times, who was involved, as well as the names of possible witnesses. 2) Keep an ongoing list of events. 3) Save any written materials that relate to your case. The Fair Housing Council will advise you of the appropriate next steps and may refer you to services and organizations that can help.