Avoid Fair Housing Violations

The Fair Housing testers are out looking for violators in Georgia.  Testers are often sent out in pairs – a white tester and, later, a minority tester. Both will be looking for housing with the same criteria and must be treated equally. Don’t be one of the unfortunates that gets tested and fails! If you fail the fair housing test, you could lose your license to sell real estate!
 
Fair Housing laws make it illegal to steer buyers to or away from given areas based on race, religion, nationality, sex, color, handicap and familial status.
 

• Be equally available to show property to all buyers.
• If you require a pre-qualification letter from any buyers, then you must require it of all buyers.
• If you ask for identification from any buyers, ask it from all buyers.
• Ask all buyers who do not know where they want to live the same questions and show them all the same properties that meet their criteria.
• Use the taxi driver question: “where to?” when asking buyers where they would like to look for homes.
• Be up-front with buyers.  Let buyers know what questions are out of bounds.  If pressed, you can answer, “Federal Fair Housing law prohibits me from answering your question.”
• Do not use data sources to discriminate.
• Do not disparage neighborhoods to some, but not to others. 

 
Ask safe questions!  A few examples:
Do you prefer a single story or a two-story home?  A new home or an existing home?
A detached home or a townhome?
 
What home features are you looking for?
How many bedrooms? A yard?  A pool? An open floorplan? A basement?
 
What neighborhood features are you looking for?
Nearby your work, medical, recreation, extended family? School districts? Walkability?
 
There are many, many questions to be asked.  Make sure they are about the property and the buyer’s stated needs and you won’t get into trouble.  Stay safe out there!