§ 12955
California FEHA (Gov. Code)
The Fair Employment and Housing Act. Makes it illegal for a landlord to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, gender, disability, familial status, source of income, national origin, and more.
Housing discrimination in California
It is illegal for a landlord to treat you differently because of who you are. We represent tenants who have been discriminated against.
General information. Not legal advice. This page provides general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any future matter.
Discrimination is often quiet.
Different terms for different people.
A higher deposit, stricter rules, or a worse unit offered to you than to someone else, because of who you are.
Turned away for having kids.
Being refused or pushed out because you have children. Familial status is protected in California.
Refusing a disability accommodation.
Saying no to a service animal, a reserved accessible space, or a reasonable change you need to use your home.
Rejecting your source of income.
"We don't take Section 8" or refusing vouchers and other lawful income. California protects source of income.
National origin or language.
Being treated worse because of where you are from, your accent, or the language you speak at home.
Steering and coded no.
Being pointed away from a building, told a vacancy is gone when it is not, or quietly screened out before you apply.
Discriminatory rules and regulations.
Rules on noise, common areas, play, swimming, and other uses of the property are often discriminatory in effect, even when they read as neutral.
The law
Three laws protect you.
Housing discrimination is illegal under California and federal law. The protections are broad. They cover renting, the terms of your tenancy, and how you are treated while you live there.
§ 3604
Federal Fair Housing Act
The federal Fair Housing Act. Bars discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on the basis of protected characteristics, and requires reasonable accommodations for disability.
§ 51
California Unruh Civil Rights Act
The Unruh Act. A broad state civil-rights statute that reaches discrimination by businesses, including landlords, and can carry significant statutory damages.
FEHA
Reasonable accommodation duty
California law requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations and allow reasonable modifications so a tenant with a disability can use and enjoy their home.
Were you turned down, or given worse terms, in a way you think connects to who you are?
Were you refused or pressured to leave because you have children in your home?
Did your landlord refuse a service animal, an accessible space, or another accommodation you need?
Were you told a landlord does not accept Section 8 or your other lawful income?
Were you treated worse because of your race, national origin, language, religion, or disability?
If you answered yes to any of those, it is worth a conversation. We will tell you honestly whether what you are describing is something the law can do anything about.
What recovery looks like
The law gives tenants real remedies for this.
When a landlord discriminates in violation of California or federal law, a tenant may have a right to several kinds of remedy. A single case can include more than one.
Stop the conduct.
A court can order the landlord to stop the discriminatory practice and, where it applies, to grant the accommodation you were denied.
Recover money.
That can include actual damages and emotional-distress damages for what you went through. The amount depends on the specific facts of the case.
Statutory penalties.
California civil-rights statutes can add statutory damages on top of actual damages, designed to make these cases worth bringing.
Attorney fees.
Fair-housing law shifts attorney fees to the landlord in many cases, which is part of how a tenant can afford to enforce these rights at all.
We don’t list dollar figures here. Every situation is different, and we’d rather walk you through what’s possible for your specific case than give you a number on a website.
What working with us looks like
What happens when you call.
You reach out.
You call or send a message. We get back to you as soon as possible. Often the same day.
We listen.
The first conversation is free. We ask what happened, what you have, and what you want to happen. No intake form. No paralegal screener.
We give it to you straight.
If your situation looks like one we can help with, we say so. If it isn’t, we say that too, and point you toward someone who can.
We work on contingency.
If we take your case, you don’t pay out of pocket. We walk you through the written agreement line by line before you sign anything.
“Discrimination almost never announces itself. It hides behind a polite no. We exist to look beyond it.”
Common questions
Things tenants ask us first.
Yes. Landlords rarely say it out loud. The law looks at how you were actually treated compared to others, and at patterns, not just words. A conversation with us is the fastest way to find out whether what happened to you crosses the line.
You don’t have to know the law to call us.
Calls are free. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Hablamos español.
Or send us a noteContinued reading
Fair Housing: your right to a home without discrimination
The two laws that protect tenants from housing discrimination in LA, in plain English — who they cover and what they can do for you.
Tenant Harassment
When the pressure to leave crosses into illegal conduct. Often overlaps with discrimination.
Substandard Conditions
When your home isn’t livable and the landlord won’t fix it.