Press Release  To Commemorate Fair Housing Month, AG’s Office Hosts Roundtable and Trainings for Landlords, Housing Providers, and Advocates

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey kicked off Fair Housing Month by announcing that her office will host a roundtable for housing counselors as well as trainings for landlords, property managers, real estate agents, community organizations and tenant advocates to ensure they are aware of protections afforded to tenants and homebuyers under state and federal housing laws.

This weekend marks the 53^rd anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status and physical and mental disability. Today’s announcement is part of AG Healey’s ongoing efforts to address widespread housing discrimination in Massachusetts that disproportionately impacts residents who are disabled, Black, Latinx, and/or low-income.

“We are in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis in Massachusetts that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I want to make sure that the rights afforded to residents under our housing laws are understood and complied with,” AG Healey said. “As we commemorate Fair Housing Month, our office is here as a resource to help ensure access to safe and affordable housing for all residents.”

Outside of federal law, Massachusetts’ housing law includes additional protections from housing discrimination for tenants and homebuyers based on their source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, military or veteran status and genetic information.

The trainings announced today will focus particularly on discrimination based on source of income, which has become an even more pressing concern as residents face financial hardship and need assistance from programs like the federal Section 8 housing voucher program and the state Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program.

Under state law, it is illegal to discriminate against any individual who receives federal, state or local housing subsidies, including rental assistance or rental supplements, because the individual is receiving such benefits. Landlords, property managers, and real estate agents or brokers cannot refuse to rent to a prospective tenant because they receive assistance, refuse to negotiate with a tenant because they receive assistance, or set different terms or conditions because a tenant receives assistance.

Actions to Combat Source of Income Discrimination

As Massachusetts recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and its related financial and housing crisis, AG Healey’s Civil Rights Division has focused on educating housing providers and taking action against those who violate state and federal fair housing laws, with a particular focus on discrimination based on source of income.

The Civil Rights Division has taken recent enforcement actions resulting in settlements reached with several South Shore real estate brokers and agents after a year-long investigation into claims they had discriminated against a low-income prospective tenant and her two disabled children based on the family’s receipt of public assistance. The investigation revealed widespread systemic housing discrimination in the South Shore, an area that’s experiencing increasing rent and homelessness. These investigations and settlements were a result of referrals to the AG’s Office from the Suffolk University Law School’s Housing Discrimination Testing Program which released a housing discrimination study identifying rampant discrimination in the Boston area against renters with Section 8 housing vouchers, as well as discrimination against Black tenants.

The Civil Rights Division has also taken other recent actions, including suing a Marshfield broker and its agent for discriminating against a prospective tenant based on his receipt of public assistance, and updating its FAQ on source of income discrimination in both English and Spanish to educate tenants, landlords and those in the real estate industry on their rights and obligations under state and federal fair housing laws.

Eviction Prevention and RAFT Discrimination Work

Following the end of the state’s moratorium on evictions in October, AG Healey’s Office focused on the needs of tenants, including by issuing an advisory for tenants facing eviction and conducting community outreach and education. 

Among protections available to tenants, landlords cannot discriminate against those who seek to participate in the state-funded RAFT program, which helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction and other housing emergencies caused by loss of income. The Civil Rights Division continues to look into issues of RAFT discrimination.

Upcoming Public Events

To celebrate Fair Housing Month, the AG’s Office will be hosting a roundtable and two trainings to hear more from those working with tenants who receive housing assistance and to educate residents on their rights and obligations under the law:

Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 1 P.M.

Fair Housing Roundtable: a discussion with housing counselors to learn about issues they are experiencing when helping tenants who receive housing assistance attempt to find housing or preserve their current housing. If you are a housing counselor or tenant advocate and are interested in attending, please email Hanan.Traiba@mass.gov. 

Thursday, May 13 at 10:30 A.M.

Fair Housing 101 for Landlords, Property Managers, and Real Estate Agents: training on their obligations under the state’s fair housing law, particularly regarding source of income discrimination. Sign up here.

Wednesday, May 19 at 10:30 A.M.

Fair Housing 101 for Tenant and Consumer Advocates: training for community organizations and advocates to learn how to recognize and combat source of income discrimination in housing. Sign up here.

The AG’s Office encourages those who have concerns about housing discrimination to call the office’s Civil Rights Division at 617-963-2917 or to file a complaint online.

The AG’s Fair Housing webpage also has materials addressing the use of criminal records in housing, the rights of tenants to be protected from harassment in housing, and an overview of the law regarding lead paint and discrimination against families with children.           

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