Following Fair Housing rules in St. Louis to avoid a discrimination lawsuit

I find myself constantly shocked at what some landlords say to perspective renters. Lines like “I don’t rent to single mothers?” or “How many kids do you have?” seem to come out of far too many people’s mouthes. For those who use that kind of language, I have a bit of advice: STOP!

According to Federal Fair Housing Law, the State of Missouri and the City of St. Louis, the following classes are protected from discrimination:

So what does this mean for you? That you better not even ask personal questions of prospective tenants that relate to these classes. Credit scores, employment history and criminal records are fine to use as determining factors, but the categories above are not. Despite what many property owners seem to think, these laws apply to everyone. Even private owners.

Your personal feelings towards these laws or these people are irrelevant in this situation. The fact is that if you discriminate or treat one group of prospective tenants differently than another, you are opening yourself up to a lawsuit. There are plenty of nonprofit organizations that provide free legal assistance in such cases of discrimination. If you can’t force yourself to keep within the limits of these laws, you’re probably in the wrong business. Watch what you say, watch what you do. You’ll be better off for it.

*If you want to take a look at the current Landlord-Tent Law Handbook, you can check it out HERE.