, it is illegal for a landlord, broker, bank, and real estate agent to discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. In certain instances, discrimination based on marital status, pregnancy status, and age is also illegal under Alaska law.

Since 1968, the

Fair Housing Act

has protected homeowners and renters nationwide against all kinds of discrimination. Although it’s been several decades since it first passed, the Fair Housing Act is continually being updated to expand the scope of its protection to include more marginalized groups.

As helpful and important as the Fair Housing Act is, it’s only beneficial if you know your rights. Whether you’re a

or a

, the

has put together this guide to the Alaska Fair Housing Act. Here, you’ll find all the information you need about who is protected under Alaska law and what you need to do to file a complaint.

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Does Alaska have a Fair Housing Act?

You bet!

The state of Alaska is in full compliance with the

Department of Housing and Urban Development

’s fair housing laws. So, in Alaska,

the following actions are illegal based on race, color, religion, national origins, sex, familial status, or disability

Refusal to rent, sell, or negotiate

for housing

Refusal to make certain changes to

accommodate a disability

Falsely stating that a house or rental property is

unavailable for rental or sale

Advertising that a sale or rental unit is

only available to certain groups

Denying a loan or information about how to acquire a loan

for a rental or purchase

Harassment

of a tenant, including sexual harassment

Applying

different conditions

on a lease, mortgage, or loan

In addition to the general guidelines laid out in the Fair Housing Act,

Chapter 80

of Alaska law also makes the above illegal based on someone's marital status (including change in marital status), pregnancy status, and age

. Unless the housing community you’re looking for is specially designated for “singles only” or for “married couples only,” you can’t be denied because of your marital status.

Accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act

To understand the

accessibility requirements

under the Fair Housing Act, you first have to know which conditions qualify as disabilities in the state of Alaska:

Chronic mental illness

Addiction and alcoholism

Diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS

Developmental disabilities

Mobility and hearing impairments

Impaired vision

All multi-family homes built for occupancy before March 13, 1991 must meet a couple of accessibility standards:

Wheelchair-friendly kitchens and bathrooms

Minimum of one accessible entrance

Reinforced walls throughout the space that can handle a grab bar

Lower light switches, outlets, and thermostat switches than can be reached from a wheelchair

Wheel-chair friendly doors

If your dwelling does not meet the standards listed above,

it is your right to request that reasonable accommodations be made

like installing a wheelchair ramp, widening the doorways, lowering the countertops, etc.

The

1991 Fair Housing Act

also addressed the possible need for

reasonable accommodations

. Though they sound the same,

modifications

refer to the

physical structure

of the home, while

reasonable accommodations

are about the housing provider's

rules, policies, practices, or services

. A good example is a tenant who needs a

seeing-eye dog

at an apartment complex that usually

does not allow animals

How to file a Fair Housing complaint in Alaska

No landlord, broker, or real estate agent will flat out tell you that they’re discriminating against you or your family based on

race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability.

But, if you’ve got a hunch that that’s the case, you should

file a complaint with the FHEO.

There are a couple of ways you could go about this:

File a complaint through their

online portal

Download and fill out

this form

and email it to your local FHEO Field Office Director. For Alaska,

email it to Chad Stovall (

ak_manager@hug.gov

)

at the Anchorage Field Office.

If you’d rather send the form via mail, you can send it to the

Anchorage Field Office at 3000 C Street, Suite 401, Anchorage, AK 99503

Call an

FHEO intake specialist at 1-800-669-9777

1-800-877-8339

Call the

Anchorage Field Office at 907-677-9800

The information you provide to the FHEO not only gives them a clearer picture of what’s going on, but allows them to get an idea of what you may be owed in damages, an estimate of court costs and attorney fees, and whether or not you should file an injunction or restraining order.

State agency vs. local offices

While

reporting directly to the FHEO or the Anchorage Field Office is the most straightforward way to handle a housing discrimination complaint

, there are a couple of other resources available in the state of Alaska that may be helpful depending on the city you’re in:

City or Region	Agency
Fairbanks	Fairbanks Housing & Homeless Coalition
Aleutian Pribilof Islands	Aleutian Housing Authority
Baranof Islands	Baranof Island Housing Authority
Bering Straits	Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority
Bristol Bay	Bristol Bay Housing Authority
Cook Inlet	Cook Inlet Housing Authority
Ahtna Region	Copper River Regional Housing Authority
Kodiak Island Region	Kodiak Island Housing Authority
Prince William Sound Region	North Pacific Rim Housing Authority
Northwest Alaska	Northwest Inupiat Housing Authority
Arctic Slope Region	Taġiuġmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority
Southeast Alaska	Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority

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The

Association of Village Council Presidents,

Interior Regional Housing Authority

, and the

Ketchikan Indian Community Housing Authority

also provide resources for indigenous and Native Alaskan communities throughout the state.

How to save on home and renters insurance in Alaska

As we’ve laid out above, you have a legal right to fair housing in the state of Alaska. And while saving money on your home and renters insurance policies may not technically be written in the law, we still think it’s pretty important! That’s why

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