February 4, 2011 (Jeff Alan)

Housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, disability, or sexual orientation is illegal by federal law. If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint.

There are several ways to file a complaint, here’s how:

You can file an immediate complaint with the agency that polices housing discrimination, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), by filling out their online form here.

You can call HUD’s toll-free number, 1-800-669-9777

Or you can print out a form from their website here, complete it, and drop it the mail.

When completed, please mail the form to:

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Room 5204
451 Seventh St. SW
Washington, DC 20410-2000

You can also write a letter to HUD including the following information:

• Your name and address
• The name and address of the person your complaint is about
• The address of the house or apartment you were trying to rent or buy
• The date when this incident occurred
• A short description of what happened

Then mail it to the Fair Housing Hub closest to you:

• Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
• New Jersey and New York
• Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
• Alabama, the Caribbean, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
• llinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
• Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
• Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
• Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
• Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada
• Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Tags: HUD, housing discrimination, fair housing act, fair housing hub, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, disability, sexual orientation