Information for Housing Consumers

At the Fair Housing Council (FHCO), we want to be sure you're aware of your rights and responsibilities under federal, state, and local fair housing laws.

Fair Housing Resources for Housing Consumers:

Following are a few quick resource links for you. For yet more information, scroll down through this page designed just for housing consumers like you.

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Fair Housing Resources for Housing Consumers:

The History of Civil Rights in Housing
www.FHCO.org/history.htm

What Do I Do If I Believe I Have Been a Victim of Illegal Housing Discrimination?
click here for recommendations

Finding an Accessible Homes for Sale

• Regional Multiple Listing Service Brochure
  www.FHCO.org/pdfs/rmls_accessibility_brochure.pdf
• Video: Buying an Accessible Home
  This video can be found at www.FHCO.org/videos.htm

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Other Housing Resources:

FHCO's Preparing to Rent page
www.FHCO.org/prep_to_rent.htm

• A Sample Rental Application: An interactive tool translated into multiple languages
  www.FHCO.org/rent_ap.htm
• A Sample Rental Agreement: An interactive tool
  www.FHCO.org/rent_agmt.htm

FHCO's Home Buying page
www.FHCO.org/hm_buying.htm

• The Standard Loan Application: An interactive tool translated into multiple languages
  www.FHCO.org/loan_ap.htm
• The HUD-1 Settlement Statement: An interactive tool translated into multiple languages
  www.FHCO.org/hud1.htm

FHCO's Financial Literacy page
www.FHCO.org/finc_literacy.htm

FHCO's Collected Information on Foreclosure Prevention (scroll down to #5)
www.FHCO.org/hm_buying.htm

FHCO's Collected Information on Predatory Lending (scroll down to #4)
www.FHCO.org/hm_buying.htm

FHCO's Homeownership Resources page
www.FHCO.org/ownership.htm

Search for a Home Free
www.FHCO.org/hc_search.htm

Lead Hazards in Housing
www.FHCO.org/lead.htm

"Smokefree Housing"
www.FHCO.org/sf.htm

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What Do I Do If I Believe I Have Been a Victim of Illegal Housing Discrimination?

We encourage individuals who believe that they have been victims of illegal housing discrimination to contact us immediately at 800/424-3247 Ext. 2 or information@FHCO.org. You may wish to view our Enforcement Flow Chart at www.FHCO.org/pdfs/EnfFlowChart.pdf.

Our Hotline staff will listen to your situation and determine how best to assist. FHCO staff will discuss your options, including filing a complaint with the appropriate government agency or bringing a lawsuit in federal or state court. Obtaining your own legal counsel is most often advisable in these situations.

Sometimes your concern may not involve an allegation of housing discrimination--for example, it might be a landlord / tenant law issue--in which case, we will refer you to other appropriate services and organizations. (Look for information about Oregon and Washington's Landlord / Tenant Laws on our Links page at www.FHCO.org/links.htm.)

For additional information please contact our Fair Housing Hotline.

What Can I Do to Help My Case?

Gather as much information as you can to give to FHCO staff when you call the Fair Housing Hotline at 800/424-3247 Ext. 2. Write down the details of what happened, including dates, times, who was involved, as well as the names of possible witnesses. Keep an ongoing log of events. Save any written materials that relate to your case.

Timeframes:

You have one year to file a complaint with the government, and two years to file a lawsuit in federal or state court.

What about Retaliation?

It is illegal for a housing provider to retaliate against a housing consumer for inquiring about his / her fair housing rights, filing a discrimination complaint, or otherwise taking steps to legally protect his / her civil rights in housing.

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	"Thank You" The FHCO would like to thank our partners and members for their support. Their contributions and grants have helped to make the resources on this site possible. Please join them in supporting our efforts!

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