Prohibited Housing Practices

TheFair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits harassment and discrimination in housing because of your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin/ancestry, familial status (households with children under age 18), source of income, disability, age and/or retaliation for protesting illegal discrimination. You may file a private lawsuit under the Fair Employment & Housing Act.  For housing discrimination issues, you are not required to file a complaint with Department and you do not need a Notice of Right to Sue.

Complaints of discrimination must be filed with the Department within one year from the date of the alleged discriminatory act.  For victims who are under the age of 18, complaints of discrimination must be filed no later than one year of that person’s18th birthday.  Please contact us immediately if there is any likelihood that this one-year period is about to expire.

The Fair Employment and Housing Act specificly provides protection from harassment or discrimination in housing because of:

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • Sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnany or childbirth)
  • Gender, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Marital Status
  • National Origin
  • Ancestry
  • Familial Status
  • Source of Income
  • Disability
  • Genetic Information
  • Prohibits discrimination and harassment in all aspects of housing including sales and rentals, evictions, terms and conditions, mortgage loans and insurance, and land use and zoning.
  • Requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodation in rules and practices to permit persons with disabilities to use and enjoy a dwelling and to allow persons with disabilities to make reasonable modifications of the premises.
  • Prohibits retaliation against any person who has filed a complaint with the Department, participated in a Department investigation or opposed any activity prohibited by the Act.

The law provides for a variety of remedies, which may include:

  • Housing Previously Denied
  • Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
  • Cease and Desist Orders
  • Damages for Emotional Distress
  • Reasonable Attorneys Fees and Costs
  • Expert Witness Fees
  • Civil Penalties
  • Court Ordered Punitive Damages    

Persons who believe they have experienced housing discrimination may file a DFEH complaint. Complaints must be filed with DFEH within one year from the date of the alleged discriminatory act.  Persons wishing to file a lawsuit directly in court do not need a "right-to-sue" from DFEH.  Civil lawsuits must be filed within two years of the alleged discrimination.