Find Fair Housing Help
If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, help is available. SDRAFFH member organizations across San Diego County can assist you.
You May Have a Fair Housing Issue If…
You may have experienced discrimination if a landlord, seller, real estate agent, lender, or housing provider treated you differently because of a protected characteristic, or if a policy that appears neutral has had a disproportionately harmful impact based on a protected class.
According to the 2020 San Diego Regional Analysis of Impediments, disability-related discrimination was the most commonly reported basis for HUD complaints in the region (53% of cases), followed by race (12%), retaliation (10%), and familial status (9%).
If you are unsure whether what happened to you is discrimination, a SDRAFFH member organization may help you understand your rights and options.
Common Signs of Discrimination
- Being told a unit is unavailable when it is actually available
- Being quoted different rental terms or prices than others
- Being steered toward or away from certain neighborhoods
- Receiving a denial based on a housing voucher or source of income
- Being denied a reasonable accommodation for a disability
- Facing harassment or hostile conditions based on a protected characteristic
- Receiving different loan terms or being denied a mortgage based on a protected class
Getting Help Is Straightforward
1. Contact a Provider →
Contact a Provider: Reach out to a SDRAFFH member organization in your area. Legal Aid Society of San Diego and CSA San Diego provide fair housing services to eligible San Diego County residents free of charge.
2. Share Your Experience →
Describe what happened to you. The provider will help you determine whether it may be a fair housing violation.
3. Understand Your Options →
If a violation may have occurred, you'll be informed of your rights and the options available to you.
4. Take Action →
Take Action: With guidance from the provider, you may consider seeking informal resolution or filing a formal complaint for meritorious claims.
Fair Housing Protections in San Diego County
- Race, color, national origin, and religion
- Sex, gender identity, and gender expression
- Disability and familial status
How Discrimination Can Occur
Rental Housing
Discrimination in renting can include refusing to rent, imposing different terms or conditions, providing false information about availability, or harassing tenants based on a protected class.
Examples: Refusing to rent to a family with children, charging higher deposits based on national origin, or failing to make repairs for tenants with disabilities.
Home Sales
It is illegal to refuse to sell, negotiate, or set different terms for a home sale based on a buyer's protected characteristics, or to make discriminatory statements in listing a property.
Examples: Steering buyers toward specific neighborhoods based on race, or refusing to show homes to buyers of a particular religion.
Mortgage Lending
Lenders may not deny loans, set different interest rates, or impose different terms based on protected class characteristics. Redlining and predatory lending targeting protected groups are prohibited.
Examples: Denying a loan based on the racial composition of a neighborhood, or imposing higher rates based on the borrower's national origin.
Reasonable Accommodations
Landlords must provide reasonable accommodations (changes in rules, policies, or practices) and reasonable modifications (physical changes to the unit or building) for residents with disabilities.
Examples: Allowing a service or emotional support animal despite a no-pets policy, or permitting installation of grab bars in a bathroom.
Fair Housing Service Providers in the Region
CSA San Diego County
Services include: Tenant-landlord mediation, fair housing counseling, discrimination audits, educational seminars in English, Spanish, and other languages, free rental housing handbooks, and enforcement through conciliation, litigation, or administrative referral.
Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD)
Services include: Free legal services ranging from advice, to limited scope representation, to full scope representation in affirmative litigation or unlawful detainers. We also conduct community outreach and trainings in English, Spanish, and other languages to housing providers, tenants, and community partners..