The text of Chapter 19, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, discusses the role the Federal Government has taken to eliminate discrimination in housing. The central focus of this article is the prohibited practices addressed by Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In addition, the article discusses the administrative sanctions and other actions which can be taken under the law.rnTitle VIII, most recently amended in 1988, is commonly known as the Fair Housing Act. Under Title VIII, it is generally unlawful to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin in the sale or rental of residential dwellings. Such prohibitions also apply to advertisement of dwelling units, provision of brokerage services, and availability of residential real estate-related transactions.rnEnacted at the end of the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery. Under Section 2 of the amendment, Congress was given the authority to enact appropriate legislation to enforce the amendment. To that end, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (14 Stat 27, April 9, 1866; 42 U.S.C.A. 1982) in which all citizens were guaranteed property rights … "All citizens of the United States shall have the same rights in every State and Territory, as is enjoyed by white citizens thereof to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property."rnThe act still provides protection to individuals denied property rights on the basis of race, and such property rights extend beyond dwellings, which is the focus of Title VIII (see below).
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