Fair Housing
Economic Action’s Fair Housing program works to root out discrimination in housing and assist Maryland residents with resolving housing discrimination complaints.
To do this…
- we educate individuals and organizations about housing rights.
- we work to resolve housing discrimination complaints.
- we advocate on behalf of individuals and communities facing current and historic discrimination.
- we educate housing providers about their responsibilities.
If you’re looking for our Maryland landlord-tenant fact sheets, Tenant Guide, or need assistance with a landlord-tenant matter that doesn’t involve discrimination, please go here.
Disability and Housing
Under the federal Fair Housing Act, a disability is any physical, mental, or emotional impairment that impacts you and your full use and enjoyment of your home. People with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodations and modifications.
An accommodation is a change in policy that a housing provider makes to ensure that a person with a disability can fully use and enjoy their home. Common examples include emotional support and service animals, reserved parking spaces, or moving to a more accessible unit.
Modifications are physical changes that are made to a housing unit to allow a person with disabilities to fully use and enjoy the home and facilities. These include things like installing grab bars in the bathroom or a ramp to the door.
We can help you request an accommodation or modification, or assist you if your request has been denied, and you can download our Maryland Disability Rights fact sheet here.
HOUSING VOUCHERS
Beginning October 1, 2020, households that pay for their housing using public assistance, like Housing Choice Vouchers, or any other legal income, are protected from housing discrimination. That means a landlord or property manager can no longer refuse to accept a voucher for a unit that would otherwise be affordable – and the law protects tenants from many other forms of discrimination.
Have you faced discrimination because you have a voucher or another source of income?
You can download our fact sheet on Maryland Source of Income Discrimination here.
no vouchers
Outreach and Education
The Fair Housing program offers Know Your Rights presentations for community members and service providers. We provide trainings on a variety of topics ranging from the basic to in depth discussions of specific laws and protections. Our trainings help community members and service providers navigate and combat discrimination in the home buying and rental processes. Learn more about our trainings and register today!
Want to schedule a free know your rights training for your team or community group?
Compliance Trainings for Housing Providers
The Fair Housing program regularly hosts free, virtual Fair Housing Compliance trainings for housing providers across Maryland. Our trainings cover federal, state, and local fair housing laws as well as compliance with the HOME Act. We also provide training on housing providers’ legal responsibilities to provide accommodations and modifications for disabled tenants. To see our full list of upcoming trainings and to register, please visit events page.
We are also able to provide fee-based fair housing compliance training to Maryland housing providers who are required to receive training as part of an agreement with HUD or MCCR.
You can download our Maryland Fair Housing program flyer here.
