A woman who thought she had landed a one-bedroom apartment at The Vintage at Mesta Park in Oklahoma City says she was turned away once the property owner learned she would be moving in with her 3-year-old son. Now the owner and other defendants have agreed to pay $52,500 to settle a federal housing discrimination case.
According to KOKH, the woman inquired about renting the unit and was initially told by property owner Jacqueline Fox that she had been approved to move in. Investigators say Fox later refused to rent to her once she learned the woman planned to live there with her young son.
Investigators say Fox told the woman she could not move in because no children had lived at the property in more than eight years and that it was not “kid friendly,” the station reports. The woman then filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which referred her case to the Justice Department.
Settlement Requires Payment, New Policies and Training
Under the agreement, the defendants agreed to pay $52,500 to the woman who was denied the apartment, the station's report notes. The settlement also requires the defendants to implement nondiscrimination policies and practices, and the same report notes they must undergo training aimed at preventing future discrimination.
The Justice Department said the landlord refused to rent the one-bedroom apartment to a single mother after learning she would be living there with her child, and officials describe that refusal as a violation of the Fair Housing Act's protections based on familial status. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon said the Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from denying renters simply because they have children, adding that the department is committed to seeking relief for families harmed by illegal exclusion from housing based on family status.
Officials Frame Case as Broader Enforcement Priority
Craig W. Trainor said a home should not force a mother to choose between housing and her child, and he said the department will use its authority to protect families and hold landlords accountable for legal violations. Congress amended the Fair Housing Act in 1988 specifically to prohibit discrimination based on familial status, a protection spelled out in 42 U.S.C. § 3604(b), which bars discrimination in the terms, conditions or privileges of renting a dwelling based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status or national origin.
The case fits into a pattern federal housing officials have flagged elsewhere in the country. According to HUD.gov, four of nine recent Fair Housing Act charges involved alleged discrimination based on familial status, including cases tied to rental practices and terms affecting families with children.
Similar disputes have surfaced in other states. The Justice Department reached a settlement with the owners and manager of three apartment buildings in Edmonds, Washington, resolving allegations that they refused to rent to families with children, according to Justice.gov. The department separately reached an agreement with a former Bay Area landlord over allegations she discriminated against a couple and their two young children, per a Justice Department announcement covering a Burlingame case.
