This limited exception applies only to sex gender and only in cases where the owner lives in the house and wants to rent rooms in a shared living space. Generally, ads should describe the property and not the tenant. If the unit is close to a park, the ad could say, "Two bedroom, two bath unit with lots of closet space, close to a park and public transportation, available immediately. In addition, human models used in sales or rental ads and in brochures and other advertising material should reflect the community's diversity.
To do so may invite a housing complaint. Use models, ads and brochures that reflect the increasing diversity of our population. Finally, the Fair Housing Logo should appear in all advertisements. Using the logo creates a presumption that you're trying to follow the fair housing law. Download logo graphics for printing. The following information is to assist all advertising media, advertising agencies, and all other persons who use advertising to make, print, or publish or cause to be made, printed or published advertisements with respect to the sale, rental, or financing of dwellings in compliance with the requirements of the Virginia Fair Housing Law.
These regulations also describe the matters the Board will review in evaluating compliance with the Fair Housing Law in connection with complaints alleging discriminatory advertising.
This section also provides criteria for use by advertising media in determining whether to accept and publish advertising regarding sales or rental transactions. These criteria may be considered in making determinations as to whether there is reasonable cause to believe that a discriminatory housing practice has occurred, or is about to occur.
In the investigation of complaints, the Board may consider the implementation of fair housing policies and practices provided in this section as evidence of compliance with the prohibitions against discrimination in advertising under the fair housing law. Use of equal housing opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan.
All advertising of residential real estate for sale, rent, or financing should contain an equal housing opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan as a means of educating the home-seeking public that the property is available to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, elderliness, or national origin. The choice of logotype, statement, or slogan will depend on the type of media used visual or auditory and, in space advertising, on the size of the advertisement.
Use of human models. Human models in photographs, drawings, or other graphic techniques may not be used to indicate exclusiveness because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, elderliness, or national origin. If models are used in display advertising campaigns, the models should be clearly definable as reasonably representing majority and minority groups in the metropolitan area, both sexes and, when appropriate, families with children.
Finally, use of the EHO logo, slogan, or non-discrimination clause should be appropriately formatted to no less than the smallest font of the ad.
Since the Miami Valley is in Ohio, a state that adds ancestry and military status to the federally protected classes, these additional protected classes have been included in the sample above. Translation Disclaimer. Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.
Jonathan Saar: Okay, cool. I think that'll help, especially for our listeners who this is your first time, you're new in the industry, still trying to wrap your head around maybe your new department, you're new to the marketing department.
And it really helps us to understand that there is an opportunity for a lot of creativity and our marketing, but it has to have the culture of the Fair Housing Act as part of it. We're going to get into some more details related to that. Let's touch briefly Kathi, a lot of people ask us, "Well, should I say this or should I not say this.
Is this safe to use? How do I phrase this properly and so on and so forth. But let's still kind of just touch on it for a minute. As people are kind of going through that exercise and trying to write their copy and they're trying to make that determination should I or shouldn't? Any just basic tips to help with that thinking process Kathi, any thoughts on that?
Kathi Williams: I think overall, the idea in any effort to market should be to talk about the property, the amenities, the wonderful sales items about that property. And to focus on those in the ad or the marketing effort, what activity, whatever it is, rather than focusing on the current residents that live there or the ideal prospective residents.
The minute you start focusing on residents, you run into a much greater possibility of tripping over the Fair Housing requirements.
And I think if everyone would keep that in mind, that would help a lot where I see companies getting into trouble is when For instance, on that tour that I was talking about earlier, where the leasing agent is walking a prospect through the property, when the leasing agent tries to encourage that prospect to lease an apartment there because of who her neighbors are going to be or not be that's where problems can rise.
Excellent point. And again, everyone we're going to have and again, it's not a comprehensive list. And one of the things that we're talking about Kathi, as we're preparing for the show is that even though we're going to provide this list of words and phrases, what to say, what not to say, and really think of the context of what you're writing your copy it's not an exhaustive list.
It doesn't cover every single item. And what's even more interesting is when we look back 10 years ago, 15 years ago everything has changed as far as what is acceptable phrases. And maybe a few years from now, this list will need to be updated based on how culture has changed and even just the english language or any language for that matter. Wouldn't you agree? Kathi Williams: Absolutely. We all have to move on with our language based on what's acceptable, what's offensive.
And one of my concerns, when we talk about advertising is that there are a lot of probably even lawyers in this country that would discourage use of some words because it just might offend somebody somewhere.
And from my perspective, and from the laws perspective that isn't the standard. The standard is, is this term is the use of this term in this way going to offend what we call in the law, a reasonable person.
Not the most sensitive person there ever could be, but your basic reasonable person, if that word or phrase would discourage me as a reasonable person from wanting to live there because of my protected category.
And that's what we always have to talk about with Fair Housing because of my race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. And that's just the federal categories.
There's also some state and local categories. Did I put in national origin? Jonathan, if I didn't that's another one there. Kathi Williams: Okay. With the seven federal categories we're talking race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Kathi Williams: And then there are on top of that the state and local categories. When we're looking at advertisements we're saying, "Would this advertisement," which also as I said, could be a statement, "would it discourage me from wanting to live there.
We don't want to do that. We're trying to market a property without encouraging or discouraging someone because of their protected category. And we're going to do that hopefully in a way that would again, going back to this reasonable person's standard that would not encourage or discourage someone who's this reasonable person because of their protected category.
There are a lot of property companies, management companies in this country that have shied away from so much advertising options because they are afraid of those hyper sensitive people who might get offended with the use of some terms. And some of them have limited their marketing actions, I think probably excessively because of their fear that someone somewhere might take offense.
Kathi Williams: I think that's kind of a shame because I always think of Fair Housing as something to be knowledgeable of, sensitive about without being so afraid of it, that you aren't able to do your business in the way it needs to be done.
And I don't think Fair Housing does that. I think if you view it as kind of as a whole, that you don't have to be afraid of it. And marketing is one of those examples of where people and companies have gotten so afraid of it, that they've stopped doing an interesting job of marketing. Jonathan Saar: Yeah. That kind of raises a thought. And I keep myself up to date. Obviously you do way more than I do as far as what kind of Fair Housing legislation is going on, what type of court cases are going on, what is HUD focusing on?
And there are cases that are out there that do talk about incorrect advertising that violate the Fair Housing Act. But by a percentage perspective, if this is a fair question, from what you've seen is it more the training of the individual person and how they understand and comprehend the Fair Housing Act that typically, HUD Fair Housing testers focus on versus the poster that's on the wall or the Facebook post?
Where have you seen like the higher percentage of what HUD is paying attention to when it comes to Fair Housing violations, does that make sense? For the easy way, click here. If you live in an apartment , get familiar with your rights when it comes to housing discrimination, as well as your options for seeking justice.
Look no further than right here. Add the logo to your Web site, communications, advertisements, or marketing materials to show your compliance with fair housing laws and affirm your commitment to housing that's free of bias and discrimination.
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