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Could I be clear? As a good housing educator, I had hoped that our largest 2025 difficulty could be folks merely not being accustomed to the method of reporting unlawful unfair housing. That’s a easy resolution (not straightforward, however easy). We merely should persistently elevate consciousness of what unfair housing seems to be, feels and appears like after which, easy methods to report it, which is primary honest housing training.
Not in my worst nightmares did I ever anticipate us being able the place unfair housing, even a modicum, would return to being authorized. However right here we’re.
What do I imply?
The rollback of federal Honest Housing protections
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. Fair housing is a civil right; it’s about more than property—it’s about dignity and justice.” — Dr. Maya Angelou, poet
Former President Biden signed Govt Order 13988 on Jan. 20, 2021, stopping and combating discrimination on the idea of gender id or sexual orientation. There have been quite a few results from this EO, however in regard to actual property, this was an historic directive that quickly engrafted two new federal honest housing protections:
sexual orientation
gender id/expression
Inside weeks of that EO, HUD, one of many honest housing enforcers, started investigating. The federal authorities had caught up with what we, as Realtors, main the best way comparatively, had codified in our moral code the last decade prior. However govt orders are notoriously not everlasting.
‘But wait, weren’t these protections included in 1974 when intercourse was added as a good housing protected class?’
Sadly, no. The 1974 addition of “sex” as a protected class underneath the Honest Housing Act initially referred solely to organic intercourse (male/feminine), reflecting narrower societal and authorized understandings on the time.
Regardless, to my shock, it felt like a intestine punch to learn on Inauguration Day 2025 that President Trump had rescinded this monumental govt order. This rollback meant that group members and actual property professionals now not have a federal path to recourse ought to they not be welcomed into a house for no different cause than their gender and who they love.
Fortunately, there are roughly 25 state/territory legal guidelines (together with Washington, D.C.) which have express legal guidelines on the ebook, however what concerning the remaining states and territories? Seventy-nine %.
That’s the proportion of these surveyed by Zillow in 2024 who shared they’ve skilled unfair housing based mostly on sexual orientation and/or gender id. As a pleasant reminder, in 2024, there was each a federal Govt Order and roughly 25 state/territory legal guidelines (together with D.C.) in place.
‘But many of us as pros don’t belief Zestimates so how can we belief this knowledge from Zillow?’
Except for the Zillow examine, do you know that honest housing complaints have been on the rise? See the charts from the Nationwide Honest Housing Alliance for simply the previous 10 years for instance of the general rising pattern (though the information helps a slight reprieve understandably throughout the first 12 months of the pandemic, which started on the finish of 2019 and careened into 2020).
It stands to cause that with extra honest housing complaints, the investigative and enforcement infrastructure doesn’t must shrink or be defunded. But, the alternative appears to be occurring.
Frankly, one honest housing violation is simply too many.
Think about how these types of unfair housing could proceed however now with no type of authorized recourse federally or in sure states/territories.
As you may see from this Nationwide Honest Housing Alliance visualization, every honest housing/lending grievance company has been nicely utilized by us, the American folks.
Further actions that ‘delete’ honest housing
To complicate issues even additional, we could lose a few of the reporting and investigative choices that we’ve got wanted. There have been calls to delete a few of these organizations. There have been edicts to pause investigations inside others. Plus, a federal funding freeze is at the moment in limbo.
For instance:
1. Division of Housing and City Growth (HUD): The specter of a looming funding freeze will disrupt no less than 100 HUD-based applications reminiscent of:
Workplace of Honest Housing and Equal Alternative (FHEO): The primary enforcer of the Honest Housing Act, which handles unfair housing complaints and companions with state/native companies.
Honest Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP): Funds personal nonprofits to analyze unfair housing by testing and litigation.
Honest Housing Help Program (FHAP): Companions with state/native companies to implement honest housing legal guidelines.
A social media instance of a nonprofit group, Intermountain Honest Housing Council, whose mission is to make sure honest housing, was impacted by the preliminary funding freeze on Jan. 27, 2025. The White Home press secretary has said that the freeze has not been rescinded though it has been blocked by a federal decide till Feb. 3, 2025.
2. Division of Justice (DOJ): Circumstances underneath present investigation have been paused, which affect these areas:
Housing and Civil Enforcement Part (which incorporates lawsuits for unfair housing underneath the Honest Housing Act and Equal Credit score Alternative Act).
Honest Housing Testing Program (which makes use of undercover testers to uncover unfair housing in housing and lending).
3. Client Monetary Safety Bureau (CFPB): Elon Musk has referred to as for the CFPB to be deleted, though the CFPB has helped get better $21 billion for us as American shoppers since its 2010 inception by:
Enforcement of honest lending legal guidelines (ECOA, HMDA) and investigating discriminatory practices in mortgages, bank cards, and small enterprise loans.
Main interagency efforts to fight appraisal bias by the Appraisal Subcommittee, which operates the Appraisal Grievance Nationwide Hotline (1-877-739-0096), making it simpler than ever for owners to report discriminatory property valuations.
Boots on the bottom: Why have these federal choices been crucial for states/territories with legal guidelines?
Sadly, in working with completely different local people members who wish to report unfair housing/lending, the native and state governments usually refer us to federal companies because of their restricted native and state assets in addition to their restricted authorized provisions (at occasions issues which can be lined federally will not be lined domestically).
For instance, right here within the state of Georgia, there are a handful of honest housing investigators (with a restricted price range) answerable for your complete state, which has a inhabitants of greater than 11 million residents. Briefly, an abrupt dismantling and/or defunding of honest housing-focused EOs, companies and initiatives — permitting no time for change administration — hurts our communities.
I do know that many people — from actual property brokers/brokers to mortgage lenders to insurance coverage brokers to different professions tangential to actual property — consider that having honest entry and the chance to lease or personal a house is paramount to the American dream.
As an indication of goodwill for our communities, our associations (mortgage, Realtors, insurance coverage, and so on.) ought to be on the forefront of demanding that our elected senators and representatives hold honest and inexpensive housing an A1 precedence on this 12 months’s legislative agendas.
If you wish to act now individually, right here’s a hyperlink that will help you join along with your native representatives this weekend to advocate for honest housing to remain a high federal funding precedence.
Instance of the automated advocacy letter obtainable from the Nationwide Honest Housing Alliance at this hyperlink this weekend.
“The stakes are too high for government to be a spectator sport. Fair housing is a battle we must fight together, ensuring that everyone has a place to call home, without discrimination or exclusion.” — Barbara Jordan, U.S. Home of Representatives former member
Dr. Lee Davenport is an actual property coach/educator and creator who trains actual property brokers to supply entry and alternative in actual property. Join along with her on Instagram.
