Fair Housing Month Quiz Tests Knowledge Of Housing Rights

DANBURY — April is Fair Housing Month and this year, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., joins in celebrating the 40thanniversary of the passage of federal fair housing laws that guarantee equal access to housing for all. Take the following true/false quiz to test your fair housing knowledge.

Q. The right to fair housing is included in the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

A. False. Although America’s Founding Fathers felt strongly about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, fair housing was not a federally guaranteed civil right until the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968.

Q. Consumers cannot be denied housing based on the race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or handicap.

A. True. Some states even expand these rights to other groups.

Q. The best way to obtain neighborhood statistical information such as school-performance data, is to ask your realtor.

A. False. A real estate professional may only direct a homebuyer to places to find this information; otherwise, his or her answers could be construed as steering either toward or away from a certain area, which could violate the Fair Housing Act.

Q. The penalties for violating fair housing laws are significant.

A. True. In addition to reimbursing the plaintiff for all legal fees and possible damages, a person found to have violated fair housing laws may also incur civil penalties of up to $55,000 for first-time violations and $110,000 for subsequent violations.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Connecticut and Westchester County’s parent company, NRT LLC, developed its fair housing education program in coordination with the National Association of Realtors. During the course of the month, NRT and its local operating companies across the country have been promoting April as National Fair Housing Month on their respective websites.