Oregon
’s Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to deny housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability, disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.In 1968, the Civil Rights Movement made waves when the federal government introduced the Fair Housing Act. This legislature protects Americans in all 50 states from housing-based discrimination and aims to provide access to fair housing, regardless of identity. As recently as 2021, protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation became a part of the FHA’s guarantee.
While the FHA applies to all 50 states, procedures for filing a fair housing complaint may be different depending on the state you live in. Jerry
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Does Oregon have a fair housing act?
Yes! Oregon’s Fair Housing Act can be found in Chapter 659A
of the Oregon Revised Statutes. Under this chapter of Oregon state law, it is illegal to do any of the following activities based on a person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity: Refuse to rent or sell housing
Refuse to negotiate for housing
Set different terms, conditions, or privileges for the sale or rental of a dwelling
Provide different housing services or facilities
Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale, or rental
Persuade owners to sell or rent for profit
Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility or service related to the sale or rental of housing
In addition to these prohibited activities, it’s illegal to threaten, coerce, intimidate, or interfere with anyone exercising their right to fair housing.
This legislation applies to all types of housing in Oregon, mandating compliance from property owners, property managers, shelter staff and volunteers, rent assistance program staff, homeowners’ assistants, real estate agents, and all lenders and insurers.
Accessibility requirements under the Fair Housing Act
The Oregon Fair Housing Act offers additional protections to people with disabilities to ensure they have accessible housing.
The Act states that if you live with a physical or mental disability such as hearing, mobility, or visual impairments, chronic alcoholism, chronic mental illness, AIDS, or other disabilities, your landlord cannot do the following:
Refuse to let you make reasonable modifications to your dwelling or common use areas, at your expense, if the modifications are necessary for you to access your housing.
Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services if necessary for you to access your housing.
In these cases, reasonable accommodations and modifications mean that they shouldn’t be too costly, they shouldn’t cause your landlord undue burden, and they shouldn’t pose a direct threat to other residents.
Common examples of reasonable modifications and accommodations include allowing service animals, installing safety bars in the washroom, or providing accessible parking.
If your landlord refuses to make a reasonable modification or accommodation for your disability, you’re within your legal rights to file a fair housing complaint against them.
How to file a fair housing complaint in Oregon
If you believe you’ve been denied access to fair housing in Oregon because of your identity, you can report the homeowner, landlord, real estate agent, lender, insurer, or other housing providers to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
(BOLI). First, you’ll fill out a questionnaire
for an intake officer to assess whether the Civil Rights Division of BOLI can accept your complaint. After the questionnaire is assessed, you’ll be notified whether the Civil Rights Division can proceed. If the Civil Rights Division can proceed, an intake officer will write a formal complaint for you or contact you for more information to write the complaint. Once the complaint is written, it must be signed by you for BOLI to file it.
You’ll receive correspondence from BOLI about the progress of your complaint. If you have any questions about the process or need help filing, you can contact BOLI at 971-673-0761 or email help@boli.state.or.us
. Additionally, you always have the option to file a complaint directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
State agency vs. local offices
In most cases, filing your housing discrimination complaint with BOLI is the easiest way to file a complaint, but some jurisdictions have their own local agencies to address fair housing inquiries. If you live in one of these jurisdictions, here’s the agency you’ll need to go to:
How to save money on home and renters insurance in Oregon
Regardless of who you are or where you’re from, you have a legal right to fair housing in Oregon
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