Housing Discrimination

Housing discrimination is not always obvious. While blatant refusals to rent or sell based on race, disability, or other protected characteristics are illegal, many landlords, property managers, and real estate professionals engage in more subtle forms of discrimination. These actions may seem neutral on the surface but can have discriminatory effects that violate fair housing […]

Everyone deserves a safe and fair place to live. Cook County’s fair housing laws protect tenants and homebuyers from discrimination based on race, disability, income source, and other protected characteristics. If you’ve been denied housing, charged unfair fees, or treated differently because of who you are, you may have legal options. At Justice Legal Counsel,

If you are a Section 8 voucher holder, you may have faced landlords who refuse to rent to you simply because you use housing assistance. But is that legal? Under Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois law, landlords cannot discriminate against tenants because they pay rent with a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). This is called

If you believe you’ve been denied housing, charged unfair fees, or treated differently because of your race, disability, source of income, or another protected characteristic, you may be a victim of housing discrimination. In Chicago, tenants and home seekers have strong legal protections under the Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance, the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA),

A Chicago landlord violated fair housing laws by refusing to renew a tenant’s lease because she used a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). The Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) ruled in favor of the tenant, reinforcing that landlords cannot discriminate based on source of income. What Happened? What Did the CCHR Decide? The CCHR

If you’ve been denied housing, charged unfair fees, or treated differently by a landlord because of how you pay your rent – whether through a housing voucher, disability benefits, Social Security, child support, or other lawful income sources – you may be a victim of Source of Income (SOI) discrimination. Illinois, including Chicago and Cook

Housing discrimination is a serious issue that nobody should have to face. If you are a victim of housing discrimination in Illinois, you should know where to file your case, the deadlines, and what type of relief (damages) can be awarded. Each agency is pretty similar in what they do, but there are important differences