Housing Discrimination
Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
In Oklahoma, everyone has a right to fair housing
Oklahoma law protects your right to have a place to live and makes it unlawful for any person to discriminate in connection with housing because of an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or physical or mental disability.
Under the Fair Housing Act it is against the law to engage in the following activities if done on the basis of a person's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or physical or mental disability:
The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement investigates and resolves housing discrimination complaints. It also mediates and conciliates complaints and can bring legal action on an individual's behalf if no solution can be found prior to litigation being initiated. There is no cost to file a housing discrimination complaint with the Office of Civil Rights Enforcement. Housing discrimination complaints must be filed within one year after the last alleged unlawful housing practice or the right to legal relief may be lost.
The Attorney General's Office works in collaboration with other agencies and organizations to educate and train real estate professionals, housing providers and consumers.
Under the Fair Housing Act it is against the law to engage in the following activities if done on the basis of a person's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or physical or mental disability:
- Tell you housing is unavailable when it actually is available.
- Only show you apartments or houses in certain neighborhoods.
- Set terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling that are different form other customers'.
- Provide housing services or facilities that are different from other customers'.
- Advertise housing to preferred group of people only.
- Refuse to provide you with information regarding mortgage loans, deny you a mortgage loan for which you qualify, or impose different terms or conditions on a mortgage loan.
- Deny you property insurance.
- Conduct property appraisals in a discriminatory manner.
- Refuse to make reasonable accommodations or modifications for a person with a disability if the accommodation or modification is necessary to afford such person an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. Examples include accommodations for assistive aides or animals, accessible parking and minor physical modifications to existing properties.
- Fail to design and construct multifamily housing in an accessible manner (applies to housing constructed after 1991).
- Harass, coerce, intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising or assisting someone else with exercising their fair housing rights.
- Refuse to rent to you or to sell you housing if a raltor is involved in the transaction.
The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement investigates and resolves housing discrimination complaints. It also mediates and conciliates complaints and can bring legal action on an individual's behalf if no solution can be found prior to litigation being initiated. There is no cost to file a housing discrimination complaint with the Office of Civil Rights Enforcement. Housing discrimination complaints must be filed within one year after the last alleged unlawful housing practice or the right to legal relief may be lost.
The Attorney General's Office works in collaboration with other agencies and organizations to educate and train real estate professionals, housing providers and consumers.
You have the right to fiar housing. It's not an option. It's the law.
If you believe you are a victim of housing discrimination, you can file a complaint by:
1) Obtaining a complaint form by visiting http://www.ok.gov/oag/
2) Mailing the completed complaint form to:
Oklahoma Attorney General's Office
Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
15 W. 6th Street, Suite 1000
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119
2) Mailing the completed complaint form to:
Oklahoma Attorney General's Office
Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
15 W. 6th Street, Suite 1000
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119
Email: OCRE@oag.ok.gov
Website: http://www.ok.gov/oag/
Phone: (918) 581-2885