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It’s also illegal for anyone offering housing (a landlord, housing facility, or professional involved in the housing process), any place of public accommodation (hotels, restaurants, etc.), or any business to discriminate against anyone for these reasons.
- on the basis of that employee’s creed, religious beliefs or practices, or lack thereof (hereafter referred to as “religious beliefs” for brevity).
Federal Law Prohibits Housing Discrimination Based on Religion
The Fair Housing Act (FHA), part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, makes it unlawful to refuse to sell to, rent to, or negotiate with any person because of that person’s religious beliefs. The FHA also bars
- Discrimination based on religion in the terms, conditions, or privilege of purchasing or renting a dwelling,
- Advertisements for the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicate a preference based on religion, and
- Coercion, threat, intimidation, or interference with a person’s enjoyment or exercise of housing rights because of their religion or retaliating against a person or organization that aids or encourages the exercise or enjoyment of fair housing rights.
The Supreme Court has also ruled that the FHA covers housing-related actions that have a discriminatory result – known as disparate impact – even if they weren’t intentionally discriminatory.