Equal Housing Protection
Homeowners, homebuyers, and tenants are protected from housing discrimination under California’s civil rights laws. While anyone can file a lawsuit if they have experienced housing discrimination, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is one of the key state agencies responsible for helping enforce state fair housing laws that make it illegal to discriminate against people because of a wide range of protected characteristics. These characteristics include age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, familial status, and source of income.
California’s fair housing laws apply to landlords, real estate agents, home sellers, builders, mortgage lenders, and others. The law prohibits discrimination in all aspects of the housing business, including renting or leasing, sales, mortgage lending and insurance, advertising, and practices such as restrictive covenants, as well as permitting new construction. For additional information about your housing rights and how to file a complaint, visit CRD’s website at: calcivilrights.ca.gov/housing.
State Bar of California
Legal services for disaster victims is an essential part of emergency management and response. Californians impacted by the disastrous fires can seek legal advice for various reasons, including insurance claims, securing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants, replacement of legal documents, landlord-tenant disputes, consumer protection matters and more. Click here for more information.