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House & Apartment

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Fair housing

Fair housing laws protect people against many kinds of discrimination when:

  • Looking for housing,
  • Applying for housing,
  • Renting a home, and
  • Buying residential property, like a house, condominium, or mobile home.
Housing discrimination basics
Find out how fair housing laws apply to renting and buying homes in Illinois.
Guide
Fair housing in Illinois
Answers to common questions about how people renting and purchasing homes in Illinois are protected against unlawful discrimination.
FAQ
Cook County housing rights for people with a criminal record
How suburban Cook County's Just Housing Amendment protects tenants from discrimination based on their criminal record and what landlords need to do to comply with the law.
FAQ
Housing discrimination complaint - IDHR
This Easy Form helps you you make a housing discrimination complaint to file with the Illinois Dept. of Human Rights.
Easy Form
Housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault
Learn more about the housing rights and protections survivors have under the Illinois Safe Homes Act and the Violence Against Women Act.
FAQ
Rights of LGBTQIA+ people in Illinois
An overview of LGBTQIA+ rights in areas such as employment, housing, education, and family.
Text article
Rights for renters in suburban Cook County as of June 1st, 2021
A blog post that explains the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance. Describes the rights tenants have under the law.
Text article
Fair housing laws for individuals with disabilities
A video about housing rights for people with disabilities.
Video
Renting property with an assistance animal
Learn about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant when renting an apartment or condo with an assistance animal.
Text article
Renting with a criminal record in Cook County: Renter’s rights checklist
If you live in Cook County, you generally cannot be denied housing just because of your arrest or conviction record. Use this checklist to see if you can challenge a landlord's decision as discriminatory.
File download
Fair housing laws for condo associations and cooperatives
A video about housing laws and discrimination specifically in condos and co-ops.
Video
What you need to know about Just Housing in Cook County
In Cook County, landlords cannot legally use your criminal history as the only factor in deciding to rent to you.
Video