• Race/Color 
• National Origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Disability
• Familial Status (presence of children under the age of 18)

The Palm Beach County Ordinance prohibits discrimination based on:

• Age
• Marital Status
• Sexual Orientation

The City of West Palm Beach Ordinance prohibits discrimination based on:

• Gender Identity of Expression
  
  In addition it is illegal for anyone to:
  
• Threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right

No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, age, marital status or sexual orientation:

In the Sale and Rental of Housing:

• Refuse to rent or sell housing
• Refuse to negotiate for housing
• Make housing unavailable
• Deny a dwelling
• Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
• Provide different housing services or facilities
• Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection sale or rental
• For profit, persuade owners to sell or rent (block busting) or
• Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility or service (such as multiple listing) related to the sale or rental of housing
• Refuse to allow reasonable modifications to a dwelling, at your expense, if necessary for a person with a disability to use housing
• Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services if nessesary for a person with a disability to use housing

In Mortgage Lending and Homeowners Insurance:

• Refuse to make a mortgage loan or provide insurance
• Refuse to provide information regarding loans or insurance
• Impose different information regarding loans or insurance
• Discriminate in appraising property
• Refuse to purchase a loan or
• Set different terms or conditions for purchasing a loan

Though some of the following statements may seem reasonable or sound fair, they could be used as “excuses” to keep you from the housing of your choice.

BE SUSPICIOUS WHEN YOU HEAR these statements WHEN RENTING OR BUYING…

• “Sorry, I rented it right after you called.”
• “I‘ll make the repairs after I see your green card.”
• “This building is adults only.”
• “That‘s too many children for this unit.”
• “ No children under 12 years old are allowed to live here.”
• “I don‘t want all those changes: a ramp, grab bars.”
• “You can‘t afford to live on the waterfront.”

• Keep records of any meetings or phone calls with landlords, realtors, property managers, or owners. Include the person’s name, title (if you know it), the meeting place, date and time.
• Write down what happened and what was said and save receipts, applications, business cards and all other documents that you received during your meeting(s).

The FHC provides a wide range of services:

• Complaint investigation, referral and/or resolution
• Referrals for legal services on a contingency or pro bono basis
• Assistance in pursuing fair housing enforcement through the courts
• Housing discrimination counseling and education

Shark Attack! Predatory Lending is a fair housing issue also, as a new breed of scam artists are loose in our communities, attempting to pose as legitimate lenders, brokers, or home improvement contractors. These loan operations target those who can least afford to lose money and threatens to counteract years of public and private funds intended to breathe new life into older neighborhoods.

While they lure victims with offers of easy access to money, predatory lenders use high-pressure salespersons, inflated interest rates, outrageous fees, unaffordable repayment terms, unnecessary add-ons, and harassing collection tactics. Homeowners can even be tricked into taking out loans they cannot afford to repay, often at the risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.

Most predatory loans are almost always sub-prime loans, but not all sub-prime loans are predatory. Sub-prime lending addresses a legitimate need, providing loans for individuals with less than perfect credit ratings. The term “sub-prime” refers to the borrower’s credit rating, not to the loan’s interest rate. Sub-prime loans have higher fees and interest rates to compensate for the lender’s higher risk.

Overwhelmingly, African Americans, Hispanics, women, the elderly, and low to moderate income persons are being targeted by this market – even when they have very good credit and qualify for loans in the conventional (“prime”) market.

A few simple steps can keep you from becoming victims:

• Check it out. If you need to borrow money for home repairs, medical expenses, or bill consolidation, shop around. Compare interest rates and total costs. A lower monthly payment is not always the better deal.
• Find out what the total cost of the loan will be before making a decision.
• Use the phone to check out any lender. Ask the lender for names of other customers and call them.
• Check to see if there have been complaints against any company you are considering.
• Never act immediately. Avoid lenders who call and promise guaranteed, low-interest loans, take applications over the phone, or offer next day approval if you pay them some money today.
• Read everything carefully and ask questions. You have a right to know the total cost of the loan, the annual percentage rate, monthly payments, how long you have to pay back the loan and to have all fees explained.
• Avoid "balloon" payments. One way lenders can make loans sound very attractive is to make the monthly payment small but require a big "balloon" payment at the end of the loan period.

DON'T BE THE NEXT VICTIM. CALL TOLL-FREE HOTLINE:1-877-910-FAIR

JOIN THE WINNING TEAM RIGHT NOW!!
TEAM MEMBERS:
Palm Beach County
Washington Mutual
Wachovia Bank
Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties

JOIN THE WINNING TEAM RIGHT NOW!! 
CALL: (561) 533-8717

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