More information on the Federal Fair Housing Act and available resources can be found on the HUD website under Fair Housing.
Fair Housing
Federal Fair Housing Act
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, with the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, is called the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap and familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18). The Act deals with the sale, rental or financing of housing, as well as any advertisements or statements with respect to housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the federal agency that administers and enforces the Act.
Where to go for Help
Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. The agencies listed below will investigate your complaint and take the appropriate action and answer any questions you may have.
Denver Metro Fair Housing Center
The Denver Metro Fair Housing Center provides information and assistance to individuals who may have experienced or have questions about housing discrimination. For information about discrimination or fair housing law, or for assistance in filing a complaint, you can visit the Denver Metro Fair Housing website or call them at 720.279.4291 to speak to a housing specialist.
Colorado Civil Rights Division
You may file a discrimination complaint directly with the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Civil Rights. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Colorado Civil Rights Division and HUD, the Division accepts and investigates a complaint jointly filed under both Colorado and federal law. For information about the Colorado Civil Rights Division you can visit the Colorado Civil Rights division website, available in both English and Spanish. You may also contact them directly at 303.894.2997 for English or Spanish, or for hearing impaired by dialing 711.
U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD is the federal agency responsible for administering the Fair Housing Act. Within HUD, the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is the office that receives complaints. To file a complaint, contact the Denver HUD Fair Housing office at 1.800.877.7353 or HUD's Discrimination Hotline at 1.800.669.9777. You can also download the discrimination complaint form and instructions by accessing HUD's File a Complaint web page. HUD will investigate the complaint at no charge to you. If you are hearing or speech impaired, you can reach the HUD Fair Housing office through the TTY service at 1.800.927.9275.
File a Complaint
Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. If you would like to report a fair housing complaint or ask questions related to fair housing, please contact any of the following:
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that all communities receiving federal housing and CDBG funding complete an Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice. The AI outlines the impediments to fair housing choice in the public and private sectors.
Please click here to see the Jefferson County Analysis of Impediments Report
Progress Toward Addressing Impediments
Jefferson County actively works towards addressing impediments to fair housing. Through the Consolidated Plan, the County has certified that it will work toward eliminating impediments to fair housing choice by strengthening partnerships with lenders, developers, and realtors, and providing education to practitioners about fair housing. These efforts will be documented each year in the Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report.
LGBTQ Discrimination
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and familial status (i.e., presence of children under the age of 18 in the household or pregnancy). The Fair Housing Act does not specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited bases. However, discrimination against a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person may be covered by the Fair Housing Act if it is based on non-conformity with gender stereotypes.
For example, if a housing provider refuses to rent to an LGBT person because he believes the person acts in a manner that does not conform to his notion of how a person of a particular sex should act, the person may pursue the matter as a violation of the Fair Housing Act’s prohibition of sex. Visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's website for more information.
Types of Housing Discrimination
Whether people are trying to rent, buy, sell, or finance a home or apartment, as a tenant, homeowner, or landlord, rights and protections are provided by the Federal Fair Housing Act. Illegal housing discrimination can take many forms:
- Realtors showing apartments or homes only in certain neighborhoods
- Advertising housing only to preferred groups of people
- Denials of property insurance
- Discriminatory property appraisals
- Refusals to make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities
Reports across the country indicate that those who are low-income, seniors or disabled, seeking to purchase, refinance, or secure a reverse mortgage, are often targets for predatory lenders or loan fraud. Predatory lenders take advantage of borrowers with a variety of abusive practices, such as charging excessive interest rates or loan fees.