Fair Housing, Consumer Protection, and Ethics in Practice
Protected classes
Federal fair housing protects race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. Virginia's Fair Housing Law adds elderliness, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of funds, and military status. Refusing a housing voucher because it is the source of the rent payment is a Virginia violation.
Prohibited practices
Know the vocabulary: steering (channeling buyers to or away from neighborhoods), blockbusting (panic selling for profit), redlining (denying loans or insurance by neighborhood), and discriminatory advertising. Limited exemptions exist-owner-occupied buildings of four or fewer units, religious organizations, private clubs, and FSBO sales without a licensee or discriminatory advertisement-but the advertising prohibition has no such escape hatch.
Disability
Provide reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, and services at no cost to the tenant; permit reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense. Service animals are not pets and cannot be subjected to pet rules or pet fees.
Ethics and consumer protection
Follow the REALTOR® Code (protect the client, avoid misrepresentation, don't solicit listed properties, don't disparage competitors) and Virginia's prohibition on paying compensation to unlicensed persons. RESPA bars referral kickbacks; affiliated business arrangements must be disclosed in writing.
Traps
Mixing up steering and blockbusting; believing the FSBO exemption licenses discriminatory ads; describing a property as "perfect for a young couple" or "no children"; charging a fee for a service animal.
Rule of thumb
If an ad, policy, or comment references who the person is rather than what they can afford, it is a fair housing problem.