April may be Fair Housing Month, but March is Women's History Month, which is a good opportunity to shine the spotlight on sex-based discrimination in housing. When the Fair Housing Act, the federal law that bans certain types of housing discrimination, went on the books in 1968, it didn't include any protections for women. A little later, in 1973, the law was amended to add "sex" to its list of protected classes.
Thanks to this amendment, tenants and prospects who believe that a broker, landlord, property manager, or other housing professional has treated them differently simply because of their sex may file a fair housing claim and possibly recover several thousands of dollars, if not more, in damages.
Have you ever felt discriminated against because of your sex at any point in your apartment search or while already a tenant? If so, what, if anything, did you do about it?
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