HUD Empowers Real Estate Agents to Better Support American Homebuyers
Real estate agents are not breaking the law when they discuss crime rates and school quality with prospective homebuyers and renters.
Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to real estate professionals clarifying they are not violating the Fair Housing Act when they share information with prospective homebuyers about neighborhood crime rates and school quality data.
“Buying a home is one on the most significant decisions a family will ever make,”
said Secretary Scott Turner. “Americans should not be left in the dark about vital facts like neighborhood safety or school quality. HUD is making clear that real estate professionals can openly and lawfully provide this information in an equal and consistent manner to American families.”
In the letter, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor explains that unlawful steering under the Fair Housing Act requires intentional discrimination based on protected characteristics. Providing prospective homebuyers with information about school quality and crime data is not a violation when it is shared consistently without discriminatory intent.
Accordingly, Fair Housing Assistance Programs (FHAPs) should not issue discrimination findings solely because real estate professionals provide such information or answer nonracial questions on these topics in a consistent and unbiased manner. Likewise, Fair Housing Initiatives Programs (FHIPs) should not use federal funds to pursue complaints based on these same practices.
Equipped with more information, Americans will be better situated to find affordable, decent, and fair housing that meets their families’ needs.
During the Biden Administration, major real estate brokerages and listing platforms discouraged or restricted the sharing of neighborhood information, citing fair housing concerns. These changes were shaped not by the law’s requirements but out of an effort to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology.
Pushed by activists and bureaucrats, this project treated the use of data related to crime statistics and school ratings as inherently discriminatory. This moratorium on sharing crime and school quality information has only resulted in less transparency for potential homebuyers and renters, and it threatened real estate professionals with perceived liability should they offer their clients the critical information they need when evaluating where to live.
Fair housing protections and informed consumer choice go hand in hand, and the Fair Housing Act does not require withholding useful information on school quality and crime statistics. This letter helps deliver on HUD’s commitment to expanding access to safe, decent, affordable, and fair housing by equipping Americans with the knowledge they need to make informed housing decisions. Read HUD’s Office for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity’s letter
here.
