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Safety & Approvals

Fair Housing

Fair-housing law decides who you may and may not turn away, and Doughy is built so that it never helps you turn someone away for the wrong reason.

The Protected Classes

Under the federal Fair Housing Act you may not refuse, discourage, steer or treat differently anyone because of their:

•Race
•Color
•Religion
•Sex, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity
•National origin
•Familial status: having children under 18 in the household, being pregnant, or being in the process of getting custody
•Disability

Many states and cities protect more. Virginia, for example, also protects source of funds (a voucher or benefits counts as income) and military status. Check your own state and city.

Children and Families

Familial status is protected. "No kids", "adults only", or showing a family different homes because of their children is illegal for nearly every rental, whatever the reason given. The narrow exceptions are certain housing for older persons. Asked to turn away applicants with children, Doughy's assistant will not do it, and says why.

What Doughy Will Not Do

•It does not filter, score or rank applicants on any protected class, and it does not recommend, accept or reject anyone. Every decision about who lives in your property is yours.
•It does not use household composition to decide which homes a renter is shown.
•Every message the assistant drafts is checked for wording that states a preference against a protected class ("no kids", "adults only", turning down a voucher) before it can be sent.
•Disability: a service or support animal is not a pet, so a no-pets rule does not apply to it, and a reasonable request for an accommodation should be considered.

What You Can Screen On

Apply the same written criteria to everyone, in the same order: things like income relative to rent, rental history, and the move-in date. Write a reason down for every approval and every decline. Doughy asks for one each time, because a consistent record is what shows that a decision was fair.

This page is general information, not legal advice. For a specific question, speak to a fair-housing lawyer or your local fair-housing agency.

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