Housing, lending and services
When the same rule isn’t applied to everyone
Public agencies, landlords, lenders and businesses that serve the public may not treat people differently because of race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, family status or age.
Discrimination is rarely announced. It shows up in a waiting list, a denial letter, a neighborhood that never gets a call back. We look for the pattern in the paperwork before we look for the intent in anyone’s words.
We take claims against public agencies and against the private landlords, lenders and businesses that serve the public. Discrimination at work is a different practice, and we will point you to lawyers who do it.
Where we look
Housing and tenancy
Refusals to rent or sell, different terms for different tenants, steering, and refusals to make a reasonable change for a disability.
Lending and insurance
Loans, mortgages and policies priced or denied in ways that fall harder on one group.
Public programs and services
Benefit offices, permit desks, public schools and city services that do not treat everyone alike.
Discrimination at work
Not ours. We send these to employment lawyers and say so on the first call.
Questions that come up early
How would I know it was discrimination?
Often you would not, from one decision. A second applicant treated differently, a policy that falls on one group, or a pattern in the agency’s own records is how most of these cases begin.
Do I have to prove someone meant it?
Not always. A rule that harms one group far more than another can be unlawful even when no one intended that. It depends on the law and the facts.
Should I move out or stop paying rent?
Please talk to us before you do either. Leaving or withholding can change your options, and we would rather you made the decision knowing them.
Tell us what was different.
The date, the place, the people who got a different answer. A copy of any letter helps.