Housing discrimination occurs when an individual is denied housing, treated unfairly, harassed, or pushed out of their homes because of discriminatory action and policies. These practices are illegal under Colorado and federal law. If a landlord, property manager, real estate agent, lender, or homeowners’ association has treated you differently due to a protected characteristic, Murray Law LLC is prepared to defend your rights.

Laws That Protect Your Right to Fair & Equal Housing

The Fair Housing Act (FHA)

This federal law prohibits discrimination in renting, selling, lending, advertising, appraisals, and every other stage of housing transactions.

It also offers protections to people based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sex, and familial status and requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act [CADA]

The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act [CADA] provides broader protection than federal law for discriminatory housing practices.

Colorado law prohibits housing discrimination against individuals based on disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, veteran or military status, religion, national origin, ancestry, and source of income.

These protections apply whether you are looking for a place to live, trying to stay in your current home, or securing a loan or insurance.

What Housing Discrimination Looks Like

The above laws prevent discriminatory practices from a broad range of housing providers including landlords, property owners and managers, real estate agents and brokers, homeowners’ associations, lenders and financial institutions, local governments, and appraisers.

Unlawful discrimination can be obvious or subtle. Federal and Colorado law prohibit these common discriminatory actions and policies:

• Refusing to rent or sell to you
• Refusing to rent or sell to you based on unlawful, offensive stereotypes
• Falsely claiming a unit is not available.
• Imposing different terms, higher deposits, or unfair screening requirements
• Steering you toward or away from certain available housing or neighborhoods
• Harassment or creating a hostile living environment
• Retaliating against you for asserting your rights
• Discriminatory advertising
• Charging different fees, rents, and rates to similar applicants
• Wrongly evicting or threatening eviction based on a protected characteristic

If you have been a victim of these discriminatory actions or policies, you may have a case. It’s important to contact an attorney with strong housing discrimination knowledge to discuss the details of your situation and learn what course of action you can take.

What Are Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications?

Individuals with disabilities may have the right to accommodation or changes that allow equal use and enjoyment of their homes. Examples include:

• Adjusting rules or policies
• Allowing animals to work with tenants for support
• Granting accessible parking
• Approving physical changes such as ramps or grab bars.

Housing providers must consider these requests in good faith. They cannot refuse accommodation without a legitimate reason.

How Can a Housing Discrimination Attorney Help?

Victims of housing discrimination may recover significant remedies in a federal lawsuit. These may include:

• Compensatory Damages: These remedies cover increased housing costs, moving expenses, lost wages, and non-economic harm such as emotional distress, humiliation, and mental anguish.

• Punitive Damage: Courts may award punitive damages when the housing provider acted with malice or reckless disregard for your rights. These damages are designed to punish unlawful conduct and prevent future discrimination.
• Injunctive and Declaratory Relief: Courts can order providers to take specific corrective steps. These may include making a unit available, revising discriminatory policies, completing fair housing training, or changing practices that violate the law.