What is Unlawful Discrimination?
It is unlawful for a landlord to refuse to rent to a tenant or to engage in any other type of discrimination on the basis of group characteristics specified by law (such as race or religion) that are not closely related to the business needs of the landlord. Indeed, the California Legislature has declared that the opportunity to seek, obtain and hold housing without unlawful discrimination is a civil right.
Under California law, it is unlawful for a landlord, managing agent, real estate broker, or salesperson to discriminate against a person or harass a person because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender and perception of gender), sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, or disability California law also prohibits discrimination based on any of the following:
- A person's medical condition or mental or physical disability; or
- Personal characteristics, such as a person's physical appearance or sexual orientation that are not related to the responsibilities of a tenant; or
- A perception of a person's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, or disability, or a perception that a person is associated with another person who may have any of these characteristics.
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