Ways to Connect.

from SF Apartment Magazine July 2023

by sfaa1917

Fair Housing FACTS

Email at

• New sfaa.org website launched!

• Email SFAA at MemberQuestions@sfaa.org

• Follow SFAA on Twitter at twitter.com/SFAptAssoc language may actually deter or discourage a family with a minor child from even applying. Family status is a protected characteristic. Because the listing may potentially deter a family from even applying, it may be discriminatory.

Section 8 Tenancies

Section 8 is a government housing program for low-income tenants whereby the local housing authority guarantees and pays a portion of the tenant’s monthly rent. Historically, landlord participation in the Section 8 program has been voluntary. In the past, some landlords have opted not to participate, often citing an unwillingness to enter into a mandatory contract with the housing authority that is required for Section 8 tenancies.

Effective January 1, 2020, California enacted a law classifying rental assistance payments from the housing authority as a person’s source of income, which is a protected classification. A landlord cannot refuse to rent to a person based solely on the fact that a tenant receives rental assistance from the housing authority because that would discriminate against the tenant based on a source of income.

Landlords should not advertise or imply in any way that they will not consider Section 8 tenants. Doing so could get them sued for discrimination. We’ve seen a surge in demands and lawsuits filed against landlords alleging discrimination for failure to rent to Section 8 tenants. Landlords must be aware and careful to consider all applicants and tenants equally and to not allow a person’s source of income to impact decisions.

Service and Emotional Support Animals

A service animal is one that has formal training to assist a person with a disability, like, for example, a seeing eye dog. An emotional support animal is one that may not have any formal training at all but instead may provide comfort or emotional support to a person with a disability. Either animal may be needed for persons with disabilities.