Families with Children (Familial Status)

Protections for familial status under fair housing laws include being discriminated against in housing due to the (1) presence of children under 18 in the family, (2) pregnancy, and/or (3) adults attempting to secure custody of children through adoption or guardianship.

Housing discrimination due to familial status can take many forms including:

Advertising “no kids,” or “1 child ok,” or “adults preferred.”
A lender mandating a woman return from maternity leave before approving a mortgage.
Restricting families with children to certain buildings or floors.
Overly restrictive occupancy standards which more harshly impact families with children.
Not notifying a family with children about the known presence of lead paint.
Restricting housing development in an attempt to limit the number of children in an area.
Per head rental or deposit charges.
Applying rules or policies that directly impact families with children, such as “Kids cannot play outside,” adult only swim times, or curfews above and beyond any local ordinance.
Rules or policies which restrict minor children of opposite genders or certain ages from sharing bedrooms (also a form of gender based discrimination).