Residents of Missouri (and Illinois) experience housing discrimination all too often.  There are protections in place and a Missouri housing discrimination lawyer can assist with these claims.  The Missouri Commission on Human Rights has an Act that flat out makes it illegal to discriminate in any way related to housing based upon someone’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex/gender, familial status, and disability.  With regard to “familial status”, a lender or landlord cannot refuse to provide housing to children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and those individuals attempting to gain custody of children under the age of 18.    If the housing qualifies as a dwelling that is for older persons, it may meet an exception and if so, it has to be posted somewhere visible.  Otherwise, the apartment building, condo building, or other dwelling may not discriminate against families.

Regarding the disability issue, a landlord may not treat the disabled (you or someone you are associated with has a substantially limiting disability and has a record of such disability) by doing any of the following:

  • refuse to allow you to modify the common-use area or your private dwelling, at your expense, if necessary for you;
  • refuse to amend the rules, policies, practices or services if necessary.

New buildings that were not ready until after March 13, 1991, have four or more units, and have an elevator must meet the following restrictions:

  • have public and common areas that are accessible to disabled individuals;
  • have doors and hallways wide enough for wheelchairs;
  • have units that contain accessible routes into and throughout the unit, accessible light switches, outlets, etc., reinforced bathrooms for grab bars, and kitches and bathrooms that are accessible to those in wheelchairs.

In Missouri, however, housing discrimination still exists.  You should contact a Missouri housing discrimination lawyer or Missouri housing rights attorney if you have been a victim of any of the following:

  • refusal to rent housing;
  • refusal to sell housing;
  • refusal to negotiate for the sale or rental of housing;
  • creating and/or enforcing different terms, conditions, or privileges for sale or rental of a home or dwelling;
  • making housing unavailable to certain individuals for improper reasons;
  • falsely advising that housing is available to certain individuals;
  • providing different housing or rental services to certain individuals;
  • pursuading owners to refuse to sell or rent (blockbusting);
  • denying certain individuals access to or membership in a facility or service relating to the sale or rental of housing.

Likewise, many lenders in the Missouri area have been caught discriminating against certain individuals.  It is improper for Missouri housing lenders to treat individuals differently based upon race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender/sex, familial status, or disability in the following ways:

  • refusing to make a loan for a mortgage;
  • refusing to provide information regarding a potential loan;
  • enforcing different terms or conditions on a loan (different interest rates, points, or loan fees);
  • discriminating during the appraisal process;
  • refusing to buy or purchase a loan.

Finally, in general, it is absolutely improper and illegal (and grounds for a housing discrimination lawsuit) for a housing provider to:

  • harass an individual simply because of his or her race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, familial status, or disability;
  • retaliate against an individual for filing a complaint of discrimination, participating in an investigation or hearing, or opposing discriminatory practices;
  • advertise or make a statement that shows a preference for certain race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, familial status, or disability.