Fair Housing Resource Portal

Sections On This Page:

• What Is Fair Housing?
• Local and Federal laws OHR Enforces
• File a Complaint of Discrimination
• Frequently Asked Questions: Do I have a Case?
• Fair Housing Outreach and Education
• Additional Resources

1. What Is Fair Housing?

The goal of fair housing in the District is to establish a robust framework for safe, secure, and affordable housing, ensuring residents are free from discrimination and other obstacles.The DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) plays a pivotal role in this endeavor, investigating housing discrimination complaints and conducting community outreach and education on discriminatory practices. Our ongoing enforcement process ensures that individuals can file housing complaints, citing local or federal laws enforced by OHR, at no cost. Examples of prohibited discrimination include, but are not limited to:

• Denying housing based on a protected trait (e.g., race, sexual orientation, and sex)
• Misrepresenting housing availability due to protected traits
• Declining to provide a loan due to an individual’s trait(s)
• Encouraging relocation to specific areas based on traits

Additionally, our educational and outreach initiatives enable OHR to collaborate with District government agencies and community partners, facilitating events such as listening labs, panel discussions, trainings,and more. Each year, our Fair Housing Awareness Month, held in April for Fair Housing Month, centers on topics of interest identified by the DC community throughout the year.

2. Local and Federal Laws OHR Enforces

OHR enforces local and federal laws in DC regarding housing. Individuals have the right to file a claim of discrimination regarding one of more the laws below. These laws have been summarized for a better understanding for the community. However, please note that these summaries are for informational and educational purposes only and not as legal advice to apply to a particular situation, as every housing discrimination complaint is unique and requires careful examination. Individuals in need of legal advice should consult an attorney.

• The DC Human Rights Act of 1977 (DCHRA)
• The DCHRA, there are 20 protected traits against discrimination under housing. These include:
  
• To explore definitions and the full scope of 23 Protected Traits in the other areas of enforcement, also in additional languages, please click here
• To file a complaint, please click here.
• For more information, please visit the following:
  • DC Human Rights Act of 1977
  • The Fair Housing Laws in the District of Columbia
    
• Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing
  • Enacted in 2017, this law supports individuals who may have faced improper inquiries about their criminal backgrounds during housing applications. It ensures transparency in the application review process by requiring housing providers to disclose eligibility criteria before accepting application fees or withdrawing conditional housing offers upon discovery of criminal convictions.
  • To file a complaint, please click here.
  • For more information, please visit the following:
    • Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act of 2016 [PDF]
    • Criminal Background and Screening Complaint Form.
    • Criminal Background Screenings and Housing Guidance Document
      
• Rental Tenant Screening Violations
  • Parts of the Eviction Record Sealing Authority and Fairness in Renting Amendment Act of 2022, D.C. Code § 42-3505.10, also established a number of new requirements for District housing providers when they are screening potential tenants, including limiting the amount of fees a housingprovider can charge during the application process and limiting the information a housing provider may request and consider during the screening process.
  • To file a complaint, please click here.
  • For more information, please visit:
    • D.C. Law § 42–3505.10. Tenant screening.
• Sealed Eviction Record Violations
  • The DCHRA was amended to include the Eviction Record Sealing Authority and Fairness in Renting Amendment Act of 2022. It prohibits discrimination based on sealed eviction records in any housing transactions.
  • To file a complaint, please click here.
  • For more information, please visit:
  • OHR’s Two New Protected Traits Under the DC Human Rights Act Factsheet
  • D.C. Law 24-115. Eviction Record Sealing Authority and Fairness in Renting Amendment Act of 2022

• Source of Income Discrimination in Housing
• Under the DCHRA, it is unlawful to deny, directly or indirectly, any individuals the full and equal enjoyment of housing, including the rental of a dwelling, services, facilities, and privileges, based on a person’s “source of income. The Eviction Record Sealing Authority and Fairness in Renting Amendment Act of 2022 updated the protections under the DCHRA regarding source of income by adding the following:
• Prohibiting discrimination based on past credit issues or rental payment history that occurred before a prospective tenant received a housing subsidy;
• Prohibiting discrimination based on income level and credit scores unless required by federal law;
• Creating a rebuttable presumption of discrimination if a housing provider charges any fees, deposits, or additional rent on individuals using income-based housing subsidies, which they wouldn't impose on those not using such subsidies.
• To file a complaint, please click here.
• For more information, please visit the following:
• “Source of Income” Discrimination in Housing (*Updated*) OHR Enforcement Guidance No. 23-03)

3. File a Complaint of Discrimination

If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination based on one or more of the laws mentioned above, you are encouraged to use the following forms. If you have any questions about how to complete these forms, please contact OHR at [email protected] .

• Form for Filing a Housing Complaint Under the DC Human Rights Act
• English (Print) (Online)Anchor
• Amharic / አማርኛ (Print / ማተም)
• Chinese / 中文 (Print / 版)
• French / Français (Print / Imprimer)
• Korean / 한국인 (Print / 인쇄)
• Spanish / Español (Print / Español)
• Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt (Print / Xuất Bản)
• Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Complaint Form
• English (Print) (Online)
• Rental Tenant Screening Violations
• English (Print)

4. Frequently Asked Questions: Do I have a Case?

OHR conducts fair housing outreach and training sessions in all corners of the city, engaging with the public and addressing their questions and concerns. Below, OHR has compiled a list of FAQs to help individuals better understand fair housing laws and what constitutes a fair housing violation. While these FAQs cover common topics, they may not encompass all possible scenarios. Additionally, it is available for download in english and soon to be the top six language in DC.