AVANTSTAY, INC. AND AFFILIATES
Fair Housing Policy and Procedure
Our agents, salespersons and employees at AvantStay, Inc. and its affiliates are dedicated and committed to providing equal opportunity and non-discriminatory services to all our clients and prospective clients.
AvantStay, Inc. and its affiliates expressly prohibit any form of discrimination with regard to race, color, religion, gender or perceived gender (including gender identity), disability, familial status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status or other protected status under federal, state or city law.
AvantStay, Inc. and its affiliates will not tolerate any discrimination by our agents, salesperson or employees in the performance of their responsibilities and any form of discrimination will subject them to appropriate disciplinary or other measures.
AvantStay, Inc. and its affiliates further pledges to:
- Keep informed about fair housing laws and practices
- Inform our clients and customers about our rights and responsibilities under the fair housing laws
- Continue development and implementation of fair housing practice.
The Laws
The Fair Housing Act and other federal and state laws were enacted to ensure the right to a national housing market exempt from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status and national origin. State and local laws often provide broader coverage and prohibit discrimination based on additional classes not covered by federal law.
- Civil Rights Act of 1866: The Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibits all racial discrimination in the sale or rental of property.
- Fair Housing Act: The Fair Housing Act declares a national policy of fair housing throughout the United States. The law makes illegal any discrimination in the sale, lease or rental of housing, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or making housing others unavailable, because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in places of public accommodations and commercial facilities.
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act makes discrimination unlawful with respect to any aspect of a credit application on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age or because all or part of the applicant's income derives from any public assistance program.
- State and Local Laws: State and local laws often provide broader coverage and prohibit discrimination based on additional classes not covered by federal law.
The Responsibilities
The home seller, home seeker and real estate professional all have rights + responsibilities under the law.
For the Real Estate Professional: Agents in a real estate transaction are prohibited by law from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. A request from the home seller, landlord, or another real estate professional to act in a discriminatory manner in the sale, lease or rental cannot legally be fulfilled by the real estate professional.
For the Home Seller: As a home seller or landlord you have a responsibility and a requirement under the law not to discriminate in the sale, rental and financing of property on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. You cannot instruct the licensed broker or salesperson acting as your agent to convey for you any limitations in the sale or rental because the real estate professional is also bound by law not to discriminate. Under the law, a home seller or landlord cannot establish discriminatory terms or conditions in the purchase or rental; deny that housing is available, or advertise that the property is available only to persons of a certain race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.
For the Home Seeker: You have the right to expect that housing will be available to you without discrimination or other limitations based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.
This includes the right to expect:
- Housing in your price range made available to you without discrimination
- Equal professional service
- The opportunity to consider a broad range of housing choices
- No discriminatory limitations on communities or locations of housing
- No discrimination in the financing, appraising, or insuring of housing
- Reasonable accommodations in rules, practices and procedures for persons with disabilities
- Non-discriminatory terms and conditions for the sale, rental, financing, or insuring of a dwelling
- To be free from harassment or intimidation for exercising your fair housing rights.
AvantStay, Inc. and its affiliaties will not tolerate discrimination, including any of the following Prohibited Activities, if these activities indicate any preference, limitation or discrimination on any of the bases above:
- Refuse to rent or sell or negotiate for housing, or otherwise make housing unavailable
- Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
- Provide a person different housing services or facilities
- Falsely deny that housing is unavailable for inspection, sale or rental
- Make, print or publish any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination
- Impose different sales prices or rental charges for the sale or rental of a dwelling
- Apply different qualification criteria, applications, or standards for different categories of applicants, such as income and credit, application requirements and fees
- Evict or harass a tenant or a tenant’s guest; fail or delay performance of maintenance or repairs;
- Limit privileges, services or facilities of a dwelling
- Discourage the purchase or rental of a dwelling
- Assign a person to a particular building or neighborhood or section of a building or neighborhood
- For profit, persuade, or try to persuade, homeowners to sell their homes by suggesting that people of a particular protected characteristic are about to move into the neighborhood (blockbusting)
- Refuse to provide or discriminate in the terms of homeowners insurance because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin of the owner and/or occupants
- Deny access to or membership in any multiple listing service or real estate brokers’ organization
If You Feel the Law has been Violated
Call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Complaints alleging discrimination in housing may be filed with the nearest office of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by calling HUD’s toll free number 1-800-669-9777 or by contacting them and filing a complaint at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint