Color
Color was one of the first four protected classes covered by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. There is overlap between color, race, and national origin, but generally this class refers to the visible color of one’s skin. Discrimination based on the color of someone’s skin can occur between people who are of the same race, as well as between people who are of different races or ethnicities.
Examples of discrimination may include:
- Refusing to rent or sell to someone based on the color of their skin.
- Refusing to negotiate for housing or making housing otherwise unavailable.
- Providing different terms, rates, rules, conditions or fees based on skin color.
- Imposing different or higher rates or fees to people of different skin color.
- Steering or encouraging people of a certain skin color to live in a certain area.
