FAIR HOUSING VIOLATIONS TIP PORTAL
REPORTING A FAIR
HOUSING ISSUE
We believe that every person has a human right to housing without discrimination. You can make an impact in your community when you report incidents of housing discrimination. If someone you know has faced housing discrimination and you would like to report it anonymously, please fill out the form below. Open Communities is here to help and would like to hear from you. We investigate all tips or claims of discrimination in our service area – Chicago’s North and Northwest Suburbs – and do so in an objective, fact-based manner.
Alternatively, you can e-mail tips@open-communities.org. Please include as much detail as possible in your tip. For instance, why do you believe discrimination may be taking place? Where exactly is the housing provider located? Who was being targeted?
LEAVE AN ANONYMOUS TIP
Please leave the name and e-mail information blank if you wish to leave an anonymous tip.
If you’d like to talk with someone about discrimination you experienced, contact our intake team at intake@open-communities.org or call us at 847-501-5760. Our experienced and compassionate staff will work with you to discuss your options.
Scroll down to read what we do after you report a fair housing violation.
FAIR HOUSING TESTING
As a HUD-designated private fair housing law enforcer, we have decades of experience righting fair housing wrongs. We begin the fair housing investigation process when we receive a tip about a possible fair housing violation.
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Review the tip submitted to us and talk with the person providing the tip if possible.
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Assign a fair housing tester to see if our team experiences the same form of discrimination.
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Fair housing testers pose as potential renters or homebuyers in various real estate situations to determine whether unlawful discriminatory housing practices occur.
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If our investigation results in a finding of discrimination, we will pursue all legal remedies to address the issue(s).
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Or we might work directly with the person, whether a landlord, property manager, banker, or realtor, to educate them on fair housing laws to prevent future incidents.
ABOUT FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS, RULES, & REGULATIONS
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on the following:
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Race
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Color
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National Origin
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Religion
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Sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation)
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Familial status (having children or the number of children you have), or
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Disability (including
At the state and local levels, we have additional protections for:
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Source of income
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Covered criminal history
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Housing status
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Order of protection (commonly referred to as a “restraining order”)
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Marital status
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Military discharge status, and more.
It is illegal to deny housing, offer different terms and conditions, misrepresent housing availability, “steer” people to specific locations based on their status, deny reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, or harass individuals because of their membership in a protected class.
