Can Landlords Make You Pay for Having Kids?

A landlord told a young mother in Grand Rapids, Michigan that if she rented a duplex, she would have to pay a double security deposit -- because she had three kids, according to The Grand Rapids Press. What that apartment hunter didn't know at the time was that the landlord was violating federal law.

The Fair Housing Act bans discrimination based on "familial status," which means landlords can't treat you worse than other tenants just because you have one or more children. Landlords can, however, adopt and enforce rules that single out children under certain circumstances.

Here's how to know whether your landlord is unfairly discriminating against children.

(© Neils Timmer / SXC)