On 4/20/21, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that wass charging an owner of a six-bedroom rental home in Frisco, Texas, with violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to a woman and her ten children. HUD’s charge alleges that the owner stated that he could not rent the home to a family with eleven people, even though the mother, a HUD Housing Choice Voucher recipient, was qualified to rent the home.
This charge appears to violate the Fair Housing Act, which makes it unlawful to refuse to rent to a family because of children under the age of 18 and to make statements that discriminate against families with children. This includes making statements or publishing advertisements that indicate a preference or otherwise discriminate against families with children. Housing may exclude children only if it meets the Fair Housing Act's exemption for housing for older persons.
According to HUD’s release:
“The case came to HUD's attention when the woman filed a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission, a HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program agency, alleging that she was denied the opportunity to rent the home because of the number of children she has. HUD’s charge alleges that the owner initially contacted the mother through GoSection8.com, telling her about his “beautiful 5,095 square-foot home for rent in Frisco.” The charge further alleges that when the woman told the owner that she has ten children, he told her that was too many children and refused to rent to the family. The family ultimately moved to a smaller rental home with fewer bedrooms in a different city.”
The full HUD release can be found here.