Me and my husband are in the process of trying to rent, and keep running into this "I don't rent to couples" thing over and over again. It's quite frustrating. They keep making excuses like "Well, it's a small 1 bedroom so I only rent to single people" Or many ads that state things like "Single person preferred", or "Not suitable for couples" We found a place we really wanted last week, offered the guy over $1000 in cash, and he turned us down cause he said he only rents to single people. WTF???? I talked this over with my friend and he informed me that what these people are doing violates the FHA (Fair Housing Act)
I say to these people......"With all due respect, we have lived in smaller places than yours (started out in a studio when we got married) We need a place to live and what you are offering is of great interest to us?" Then I send them information that I have copied and pasted from the FHA website:
Examples of Discriminatory Advertisements (read #5)
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Although not an exhaustive list, these examples should give you some idea of what might constitute a discriminatory housing advertisement.
1. race / color
* postings stating a preference for the race of a desired applicant (eg. "no blacks," "whites only," etc)
* postings describing the race of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "African-American neighborhood," "most residents are Asian," "lots of Hispanic families," etc)
2. religion
* postings stating a preference for the religion of a desired applicant (eg. "Christians only," "no Muslims," etc)
* postings describing the religion of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "nice, Christian neighborhood," "Jewish family seeks roommate," etc)
3. national origin
* postings stating a preference for a certain national origin (eg. "no immigrants," "no foreigners," "Irish preferred," etc)
* postings posted only in a language other than English
* postings describing the national origin of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "predominately Latino neighborhood," "mostly Asian residents," etc)
4. handicap / disability
* postings stating a preference for able-bodied tenants (eg. "no wheelchairs," "must be able to live independently," etc)
* postings describing the complex as unable to accomodate people with disabilities (eg. "units are not accessible", "no pets, even seeing eye dogs", etc)
5. familial status
* postings stating a clear preference for families without children (eg. "no children," "no kids and no pets," "single occupancy only," etc)
* postings that could discourage families with children (eg. "ideal for working professionals," "perfect for single or couple," "nice, quiet, mature, neighborhood," etc)
We have lived in several different states and have never been turned down by anyone because of being a couple.....wondering if this is an Arizona thing?
Are these laws enforced? What can I do? It sucks cause we have been turned down now 3 times for places we really wanted because the landlord pulled the "single occupancy only" bullshit.
Any input?
Thx.



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This shit is pissing me off!


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