Identify Any Illegal “Steering” While Looking for an Apartment

Illegal Steering

Lack of turning away the prospective tenants that are based on the discriminatory reason, landlords, brokers as well as housing experts practice the subtle types of discrimination called “steering.” This term generally refers to when somebody tries and limits the renter’s housing options by guiding and encouraging person to look somewhere else, based on the protected characteristic. It is very disappointing while your housing options are limited by the low turnover as well as vacancy rates, and by the slim supply of the apartments in your region. However, the apartment hunters that experience the illegal steering face extra hurdles in form of the unfair and artificial restrictions.

Learn to Identify the Illegal Steering

Housing regulations identify 4 main kinds of the illegal steering practices. Prior to starting your search for an apartment, it is good to be educated about steering so that you may spot this and take some action.

Discouraging you to rent at the building

Instead of saying “We cannot rent to the [insert ethnicity here] people” or else “No kids permitted,” some landlords also claim having the nondiscriminatory plans but indirectly try and encourage the prospective tenants for looking elsewhere based on the discriminatory reasons.

Even less directly, the landlord might purposely leave out details that would encourage you to consider renting at the facility. For instance, if the apartment building has the amenities like swimming pool, fitness center or roof deck and your landlord and broker is not mentioning them, then it could be a potential red flag you are steered.

Other steering tactics can be summarized as the “its not you its them” technique – ie. “it’s not the building, it is the tenants.” Under this case, the landlord can try and discourage you from renting because he thinks you will not be the good fit with other tenants. In this case, press for additional details and examples to be sure you are not being steered.

Reason can be valid

For instance, you might have told the landlord or else broker you are searching for peace & quiet and he may honestly allow you know that lots of tenants love to hold the loud parties and that walls are thin and he has gotten many complaints about the noise. But in case, you hear landlord say, ” I do not think other tenants may like this fact you have children,” then you know it is illegal steering, and in this case it is based on the familial status. Though it is the less obvious type of the discrimination, this kind of steering practice leads to the flat out discrimination.

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