Does my immigration status affect whether I am protected by the Fair Housing Act?
No. Every person in the United States is covered by the Fair Housing Act. Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination in housing based on:
- Race
- Color
- National Origin
- Ancestry (Ohio law)
- Sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity)
- Disability
- Religion
- Family Status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant people, and those securing custody of children under the age of 18)
- Military Status (Ohio law)
Housing discrimination is illegal regardless of immigration status.
Examples of housing discrimination:
- A landlord refuses to rent to a person based on their religion.
- A landlord requires additional identification documents from a person based on their national origin.
- A landlord will not rent to a family with children.
What is National Origin discrimination?
National origin discrimination is when a person is denied housing or offered different terms based their birthplace, culture, or language. Ohio law also protects people based on ancestry.
A person cannot be denied housing opportunities based on:
- Being from or having family from another country.
- Having a name or accent associated with a national origin group.
- Participation in certain customs associated with a national origin group.
- Being married to or associated with people of a certain national origin.
Examples of housing discrimination based on national origin or ancestry:
- A housing provider will not rent to someone who speaks a language other than English.
- A housing provider charges a higher security deposit or rent to a tenant because tenant or members of tenant’s family was born in another country.
- A real estate agent only shows a homebuyer certain housing based on customs associated with homebuyer’s national origin or ancestry.
Can landlords ask for immigration documents?
Landlords are able to ask for identification documents and perform credit checks in order to financially qualify a person for housing. However, a landlord should apply the same procedure for all potential tenants. Procedures to screen potential tenants for citizenship and immigration status, such as asking for a green card (permanent resident card) or visa verification, may violate the Fair Housing Act.
What if a landlord or neighbor is threatening to report me, a family member, or friends to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?
It is illegal to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with a person exercising their fair housing rights. This includes threatening to report a person to ICE for filing a fair housing complaint. HUD does not inquire about immigration status when investigating fair housing complaints. If ICE becomes involved after a complaint is filed, inform them that you are pursuing a housing discrimination complaint with HUD.
Download Fair Housing: National Origin & Ancestry Brochure:
Fair Housing – National Origin and Ancestry
Fair Housing – National Origin and Ancestry – Spanish
Fair Housing – National Origin and Ancestry – Arabic
Fair Housing – National Origin and Ancestry – Taiwanese
Fair Housing – National Origin and Ancestry – Simplified Chinese