California Fair Housing

California Fair Housing Rights Poster

Help communicate California fair housing rights with the California Fair Housing Rights Poster. This notice provides important information about protections against discrimination and harassment in the rental, sale, financing, and use of housing in California.

Poster Specifications

• Size: 17"W x 11"H
• Orientation: Landscape
• Language: Available in English or Spanish
• Format: Full-color fair housing rights poster
• Finish: Completely laminated with high-quality laminate
• Topic: California fair housing and housing discrimination protections

What Are California Fair Housing Rights?

California fair housing laws protect individuals from unlawful discrimination and harassment in housing and housing-related services.

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act applies to most housing providers and housing-related businesses and protects tenants, applicants, homeowners, home buyers, residents, guests, and others from unlawful housing discrimination.

Who Must Follow California Fair Housing Laws?

California fair housing requirements apply broadly to housing providers and businesses that provide housing-related services.

Depending on the circumstances, covered individuals and organizations can include:

• Landlords
• Property owners
• Apartment managers
• Property management companies
• Real estate brokers and agents
• Home sellers
• Builders and developers
• Owners of short-term rentals
• Tenant screening companies
• Homeowners associations
• Mortgage lenders
• Appraisers
• Public housing authorities
• State and local government agencies
• Other providers of housing and housing-related services

What Housing Is Covered?

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act applies to the sale, rental, or occupancy of most housing accommodations.

Covered housing can include:

• Single-family homes
• Apartments
• Condominiums
• Multi-family housing
• Short-term rentals
• Mobile homes
• Subsidized housing
• Dormitories
• Group homes
• Sober living facilities
• Residential motels
• Emergency and homeless shelters
• Farmworker housing
• Recreational vehicles used as homes
• Other covered residential housing

What Characteristics Are Protected Under California Fair Housing Law?

California protects individuals from housing discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics that include:

• Race
• Color
• Ancestry
• National origin
• Citizenship
• Immigration status
• Primary language
• Religion
• Mental or physical disability
• Sex and gender
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Gender expression
• Genetic information
• Marital status
• Familial status
• Source of income
• Military or veteran status
• Age
• Other characteristics protected by applicable California law

What Is Housing Discrimination?

Housing discrimination can occur when a housing provider treats an individual differently because of a protected characteristic.

Depending on the circumstances, unlawful practices can include:

• Refusing to rent, lease, or sell housing
• Refusing to negotiate for housing
• Falsely stating that housing is unavailable
• Applying different rental terms or conditions
• Charging different deposits or fees
• Providing different services or facilities
• Using discriminatory advertising
• Discriminatory tenant screening
• Denying a home loan or housing-related service because of a protected characteristic
• Harassing tenants, applicants, residents, or home seekers
• Retaliating against someone for exercising fair housing rights

California Source of Income Protections

California fair housing law protects individuals from discrimination based on their source of income.

This protection includes the use of government rental assistance such as a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher.

Housing providers generally may not refuse to rent to an applicant simply because the applicant intends to use a qualifying housing subsidy or rental assistance program.

Families With Children and Fair Housing

California law generally prohibits housing discrimination based on familial status, including discrimination against households with children under 18 and individuals who are pregnant.

Housing providers generally may not impose discriminatory rules, conditions, deposits, or restrictions on families with children.

Qualifying senior housing can be subject to specific exceptions when applicable legal requirements are satisfied.

Disability Discrimination and Reasonable Accommodations

California fair housing law protects individuals with mental and physical disabilities.

Housing providers may be required to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary to provide an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing.

Examples can include:

• Providing a reserved parking space
• Making an exception to a no-pets policy for an assistance animal
• Allowing a live-in aide
• Adjusting certain payment or communication procedures
• Providing additional notice or time when necessary because of a disability
• Other reasonable changes to housing policies or practices

Reasonable Modifications for People With Disabilities

California and federal fair housing laws can also protect an individual's right to make reasonable physical modifications when necessary because of a disability.

Examples can include:

• Installing grab bars
• Widening doorways
• Installing an accessibility ramp
• Lowering cabinets
• Modifying walkways
• Installing accessibility-related alarms or communication devices

Responsibility for the cost of a modification depends on the housing and circumstances involved.

Housing Harassment Is Prohibited

California fair housing protections prohibit unlawful harassment based on a protected characteristic.

Housing providers can also have responsibilities to address discriminatory harassment by employees, agents, contractors, other tenants, or third parties when the provider has the legal authority or responsibility to correct the conduct.

Fair Housing and Criminal History

California places restrictions on how housing providers may use an applicant's criminal history when making housing decisions.

Housing providers should not use blanket policies automatically excluding every applicant with a criminal history. Certain records also may not be considered under California requirements.

Housing providers should review current California fair housing requirements when using criminal background information as part of tenant screening.

Fair Housing Advertising

Housing advertisements, notices, applications, and other communications should not express an unlawful preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a protected characteristic.

California fair housing requirements can apply to advertising through:

• Websites
• Rental listings
• Social media
• Signs
• Flyers and brochures
• Applications
• Printed advertisements
• Other housing-related communications

Protection Against Fair Housing Retaliation

California law prohibits unlawful retaliation against individuals for exercising protected fair housing rights.

This can include retaliation because an individual filed a discrimination complaint, requested a reasonable accommodation, assisted another person with a fair housing matter, or otherwise exercised rights protected by law.

How Can Someone Report Housing Discrimination?

An individual who believes they have experienced unlawful housing discrimination or harassment may contact the California Civil Rights Department (CRD).

CRD investigates complaints involving discrimination in housing and housing-related services and provides information about California fair housing rights and remedies.

Is the California Fair Housing Poster Required?

California fair housing laws are mandatory, but this California-specific educational poster should not be described as a universal state posting requirement for every California housing provider.

The California Civil Rights Department currently provides fair housing fact sheets, booklets, FAQs, and other educational materials explaining California housing discrimination protections.

Housing providers may also be subject to a separate federal Fair Housing poster requirement under the federal Fair Housing Act and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations.

California Fair Housing Poster vs. Federal Fair Housing Poster

This California Fair Housing Rights Poster focuses on California housing discrimination protections, which include several protected characteristics and requirements beyond federal law.

The separate federal Fair Housing poster is governed by federal requirements and should not automatically be considered interchangeable with this California-specific notice.

Housing providers should determine whether federal Fair Housing poster requirements apply to their operations in addition to California fair housing requirements.

Where Can the California Fair Housing Poster Be Displayed?

The California Fair Housing Rights Poster can be displayed in public-facing locations where applicants, tenants, residents, customers, and employees can readily see fair housing information.

Appropriate locations can include:

• Apartment leasing offices
• Property management offices
• Real estate offices
• Rental offices
• Housing authority offices
• Model home sales offices
• Mortgage and housing service offices
• Tenant reception areas
• Other housing-related public areas

California Housing and Workplace Compliance Resources

Labor Law Compliance Center provides California businesses and housing providers with labor law posters, fair housing notices, employee rights materials, IWC Wage Orders, and specialty compliance products. Visit our California Labor Law Posters page or browse our California State Specialty Posters for additional California compliance products.