If you are denied an opportunity to rent a home or apartment—or given false information about a rental—because of your marital status, you are a victim of illegal housing discrimination. It is also illegal for landlords or other housing providers to treat in-place residents or their guests unfavorably because of their marital status.

Examples & Warning Signs of Marital Status Discrimination

• Rental advertising that expresses a preference for married couples.

• Refusing to rent to roommates, unmarried couples, or single parents because the housing provider prefers married couples as tenants.

• Setting curfews or overnight guest restrictions for single residents.

• Requiring unmarried couples to document that they have joint bank accounts or other evidence that they have a long-term relationship.

• Giving special incentives or discounts to married couples that are not offered to others, like “two-for-the-price-of-one” application fees, lower security deposits, etc.

• Terminating the tenancy of an individually-qualified spouse or partner because the other spouse or partner moved out of the home.

If you suspect that you are a victim of housing discrimination on the basis of your marital status, contact the GBLA Fair Housing Law Project.

FHLP Marital Status Discrimination Flyer: English or Spanish