Here's How You Know You're Being Discriminated Against While House Hunting

Subtle or not, discrimination is discrimination.

Before we sold our home and moved out of state last year, we were just getting to know a new family in the neighborhood. They are amazing humans, and frankly, having them as neighbors made our decision to move more difficult.

Once, as we sat swapping stories, the subject of the hot housing market came up. I asked how house hunting was for them, given the competition for homes. I was surprised by the husband's answer, which only goes to show how easy it is to allow privilege to cloud my worldview.

The new family is Black. The husband and wife are both professionals, and their two daughters are funny, smart, and engaging college students. The husband told us that for their family, our neighborhood represented what they hoped to achieve. They wanted to buy a house in a nice, safe area, make it a home of their own, and become part of the community.

They remained in a more modest home for years. He said that was okay, though, because it gave them more time to plan and save for the down payment on the house that would become their permanent family home.

Discrimination can be subtle

According to the couple, they had trouble finding a real estate agent who would show them homes in our neighborhood. Agents weren't obvious about why they didn't think our area was a good fit for them, but several agents encouraged the family to look at homes in other parts of town. The husband said that once they were denied a showing, they would simply move down the list and call another real estate company.

Once they landed the right agent, the husband told us that buying the house they wanted was a breeze. After all, they'd planned and saved for it for years.

By pushing the family to buy in areas of town that are traditionally Black, agents set up hurdles. It was subtle, but it was discrimination.

Discrimination can be difficult to identify

Whether you're hoping to rent a home or buy, discrimination due to your race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or the fact that your household includes children is illegal. If you have a gut feeling something is wrong, take notes. Be specific about who it is you're dealing with and what they say to you.

Here's a sample of the common ways discrimination rears its ugly head.

For home buyers

• A real estate agent puts you off when you ask to tour a home in a neighborhood where you are a minority.
• An agent shows you homes only in neighborhoods where you're the majority.
• Once you make an offer on a home, your agent drags their feet presenting that offer, giving someone else time to purchase the property.
• Your mortgage lender repeatedly asks you to jump through the same hoops. For example, they may require you to provide proof of income more than once or claim that you did not provide documents that you know you provided.

For renters

• A landlord runs a discriminatory ad. For example, "House available. No children allowed."
• A landlord sets the minimum required credit score, security deposit, or rent high in an effort to prevent you from qualifying.
• Management or a landlord refuse to respond to your questions.
• Management or a landlord refuse to provide you with a rental application.

If you believe you're a victim of housing discrimination

You don't have to go it alone. There are organizations designed to help you prove your case and hold the other party responsible.

National Fair Housing Alliance

National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is dedicated solely to ending discrimination in housing. You can find the contact information for your state or local fair housing center on the NFHA website. Because it can be so difficult to prove, NFHA may send testers to find evidence of discrimination with the mortgage lender, real estate agent, or landlord you dealt with.

HUD

HUD's Fair Housing Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is rich with resources and offers you these options:

• Speak directly with an FHEO intake specialist by calling 1-800-669-9777 or TTY: 1-800-877-8339.
• File an online complaint. You can also find the form in Spanish.
• Download this form and email it to your local FHEO office. The email address can be found here.

In addition to English and Spanish, the complaint form is available in Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese.

There's nothing fair about discrimination, but thanks to anti-discrimination laws, you don't have to fight it on your own.