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Last revised July 24, 2014
<br />fair housing throughout the United States."23 The Act covers a broad range of prohibited housing and
<br />real estate oriented practices that may be undertaken by lenders, leasing agents, real estate brokers
<br />and others including but not limited to:
<br />• Refusing to sell or rent to any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
<br />• Discriminating by offering differential terms on the bases above;
<br />• Making, printing or publishing material pertaining to sale or rental of housing that includes any
<br />stated "preferences, limitations, or discrimination" excluding protected groups;
<br />• Claiming to any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin that a unit is
<br />not for sale or rent when in fact it is;
<br />• Refusing to permit, at the expense of a person with disabilities, reasonable modifications that
<br />enable the tenant to have full enjoyment of the premises; and
<br />• Discrimination in real -estate -related transactions and in provision of brokerage services.
<br />Additionally, the Minnesota Human Rights Act explicitly bans discrimination in housing and real estate:
<br />"Subdivision 1. Freedom from discrimination.
<br />(a) It is the public policy of this state to secure for persons in this state, freedom from discrimination:
<br />(1) in employment because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status,
<br />disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, and age;
<br />(2) in housing and real property because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex,
<br />marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, and familial
<br />status;
<br />(3) in public accommodations because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual
<br />orientation, and disability;
<br />(4) in public services because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status,
<br />disability, sexual orientation, and status with regard to public assistance; and
<br />(5) in education because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status,
<br />disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, and age.
<br />(b) Such discrimination threatens the rights and privileges of the inhabitants of this state and
<br />menaces the institutions and foundations of democracy. It is also the public policy of this state to
<br />protect all persons from wholly unfounded charges of discrimination. Nothing in this chapter shall be
<br />interpreted as restricting the implementation of positive action programs to combat discrimination."
<br />(Minn. Stat. 363A.02)
<br />There are several key types of housing discrimination:
<br />• Mortgage Lending Discrimination results from lending practices that disproportionately limit the
<br />access of households of color to mortgage products compared to similar white households.
<br />Mortgage lending discrimination can include predatory marketing of high -cost subprime loans to
<br />prospective homeowners of color, higher loan denial rates for households of color, and more
<br />limited access to prime mortgages for properties in neighborhoods of color.
<br />23 Section 42 of the United States Code. The Fair Housing Act.
<br />2040 HOUSING POLICY PLAN I METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
<br />DRAFT RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Part IV: Opportunities for Impact I Page 68
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