Housing Discrimination

Race and National Origin

It is always illegal for a landlord, agent, home seller, or realtor to discriminate based on race, color and/or national origin (ancestry). There is no exemption for owner-occupied duplexes. In addition to the Federal Fair Housing Act, there are independent federal and state laws that prohibit housing discrimination based on race, color and/or national origin in all types of public and private housing.

Approximately 10% of the housing discrimination complaints received by the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center are based on race and/or national origin. Our service area, which includes five counties and the cities of Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts, is highly segregated.[1] A 2010 study revealed that the schools in the Greater Springfield area are among the most segregated in the country for Latino and Black students.[2] This entrenched residential segregation indicates that housing discrimination plays a major role in restricting housing opportunities based on race and national origin.

Resources