By Elizabeth Zach, RCAC staff writer

The Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, which partners with RCAC to provide fair and affordable housing, won a settlement last week against two apartment complexes that had unlawfully discriminated against prospective tenants.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ruled last week that the owners of Sierra Vista Apartments and Grand Oaks Apartments in Lake Elsinore, California, had rejected tenant applications based on the applicants’ race and national origin. The applications were actually tests by the Fair Housing Council to determine whether discrimination was possibly occurring. A settlement agreement requires the apartment complex owners to pay an $8,000 fine, and requires their staff to complete fair housing training.

According to the complaints, the property managers refused to rent by citing conflicting terms and conditions. They also misrepresented apartment vacancies to the tenant testers based on their race and national origin. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against anyone based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability.

“Denying someone an apartment because of how they look or where they come from not only deprives them of a home, it is against the law,” Anna María Farías, HUD assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity, told Housing Wire. “Today’s agreement reaffirms HUD’s commitment to ensuring that every person, no matter their race or national origin, has access to the housing of their choice.”

To read more, go here: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/43349-california-landlords-fined-for-housing-discrimination?eid=414651830&bid=2101700