There are laws that protect your housing rights in San Francisco. People renting or selling homes and businesses that provide mortgages must follow these laws.
Who is protected
You cannot be treated differently because of your:
- Age
- AIDS/HIV status
- Ancestry
- Color
- Creed (your beliefs and your habits based on those beliefs)
- Disability
- Family status
- Gender identity
- Height
- National origin
- Place where you were born
- Pregnancy status
- Race
- Religion
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Source of income
- Weight
What this means
People may not make housing decisions based on these facts about you. For example, they can not:
- Refuse to rent or sell to you
- Evict you
- Fail to make a reasonable accommodation
- Change the terms of your housing
- Harass you
- Refuse to provide services, repairs, facilities, and improvements
- Lie about whether housing is available
- Give you a higher interest rate
What you can do if you experience discrimination in employment
If you have questions or believe your housing provider has discriminated against you, you can contact the San Francisco Human Rights Commission to file a complaint or get more information about how to protect your rights.
You can also file a discrimination complaint with a state or federal agency
California Civil Rights Department
Phone: 800-884-1684
California Civil Rights Department complaint process
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Office of Fair Housing And Equal Opportunity
Phone: 800-347-3739 or 415-489-6524