Blog Archives - Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California

Housing Discrimination Laws in California: Know Your Rights

4/24/2025

When you’re looking to lay down roots, it should be comforting to know that after the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, there are laws in place to protect homeowners from housing discrimination. If you own or rent a home in the Golden State or have plans to buy one in the future, it’s a good idea to educate yourself on state and federal housing laws to make sure you get a fair deal . Housing discrimination laws in California differ from other states in that they include more protected classes and address more conditions for landlord and tenant rights. Types of housing discrimination The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law that prohibits housing-related discrimination. Formally known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, it bans discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing on the basis of seven protected classes: race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. It also aims to combat economic and racial disparities in housing.

Enforced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Act requires all states, including California, to practice fair housing practices. For example, under the FHA, a landlord can’t refuse to rent to a family just because they have young children. Additionally, it’s also illegal for a real estate agent to advertise a property and explicitly state that homebuyers of a certain race or gender are unwelcome to place a bid. Aside from landlords, property managers, and agents, FHA rules apply to banks and other lenders, homeowners associations (HOAs), builders, developers, insurance companies, and housing appraisers...

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Appraiser who undervalued a Black and Latino couple’s Oakland home must pay them $75K

4/17/2025

A Black and Latino couple in Oakland will receive $75,000 to compensate them for a property appraisal that undervalued their home by more than $250,000, which prevented them from getting a new loan and eventually led them to move out, state civil rights officials said Monday. The settlement of a complaint by the California Civil Rights Department also requires the appraisal company, Clear Capital, to train employees on identifying and preventing possible racial and ethnic bias in assessing property value.

“Whether it’s lowball appraisals or a history of redlining, communities of color across the country continue to confront the multigenerational harms of housing discrimination,” the department’s director, Kevin Kish, said in a statement announcing the settlement. “Appraisers, lenders and brokers all have a responsibility to prevent discrimination in real estate transactions.”

In a statement Tuesday, Helge Hukari, general counsel for Clear Capital, said the company “appreciates being able to work alongside the California Civil Rights Department to resolve this matter. We will continue to maintain the systems and processes outlined in the settlement agreement.” Clear Capital based in Reno, describes itself as one of the nation’s top five appraisal managers. In a related settlement, the Civil Rights Department said the individual appraiser, who was not identified by name, had agreed to pay $75,000 to the couple and $15,000 to the department, undergo anti-discrimination training and watch an ABC documentary, “Our America: Lowballed,” on the effects of appraisal bias on communities of color.

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Bay Area home appraiser must pay $75K, watch ABC7 documentary in discrimination settlement agreement

4/17/2025

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A Bay Area appraiser is ordered to pay a couple $75,000 and watch the ABC7 News documentary "Our America: Lowballed" as a part of a settlement agreement. On Thursday, ABC7 news confirmed the couple is Ron and Dominique Curtis-the East Bay family prominently featured in the ABC7 News Documentary "Our America: Lowballed."

The Curtises were trying to refinance the loan on their Oakland home in 2020 to take advantage of historically low interest rates. The home was appraised at $900,000--$254,000 lower than it has appraised for earlier that year. The lower-than-expected appraisal forced the refinance application to ultimately fall through. The Curtises believed that racial bias was a factor.

Ron Curtis joined our Julian Glover on Midday Live with his reaction to the settlement agreement. He gave advice for other families facing appraisal discrimination in the Bay Area. "My advice would be to document and to gain as much support as you can, and make sure you reach out to Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California," Curtis said. He also recommended reaching out to a real estate professional who may be able to help.

The Curtises had access to the multiple listing service (MLS) because Ron serves as a licensed real estate broker and Dominique, at the time, was in the process of training to become and appraiser. The Curtises used that information to file a 60-page rebuttal asking for a reconsideration of value and a second appraisal. The family took issue with the properties used in the appraisal report as comparable homes. Several of the properties were blighted with boarded-up windows, a caved-in garage and bricks lining a roof to hold shingles in place.

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Federal Court Advances Landmark Housing Discrimination Case Against Deutsche Bank, Ocwen, and Altisource to Trial

4/8/2025

Federal Court Advances Landmark Housing Discrimination Case Against Deutsche Bank, Ocwen, and Altisource to Trial CHICAGO, IL – On April 1, 2025, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and 19 fair housing organizations achieved a significant legal victory as a federal district court in Chicago denied the defendants’ motions for summary judgment in a critical 2018 housing discrimination lawsuit, National Fair Housing Alliance, et al. v. Deutsche Bank National Trust, et al.

This decision now paves the way for the lawsuit against Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Ocwen Financial Corp., and Altisource Portfolio Solutions, Inc. to proceed to trial. Plaintiffs allege that these defendants engaged in discriminatory practices by failing to uphold their duty to maintain and market foreclosed properties in Black and Latino neighborhoods to the same standards as those in predominantly white areas, in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA).

The lawsuit, filed in February 2018 by NFHA and 19 fair housing organizations, builds on an extensive multi-year investigation starting in 2010 and continuing through 2017 in the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. Evidence summarized in the complaint reveals stark inequities. The investigation showed that homes in white neighborhoods were methodically maintained and marketed, while properties in Black and Latino neighborhoods were left in severe disrepair, contributing to safety hazards, declining property values, and worsening economic conditions in historically underserved communities. Plaintiffs presented expert evidence the Court has permitted to be presented at trial that these disparities in maintenance were attributable to neighborhood racial composition, not to non-racial factors, and that race played a statistically significant role in the differential treatment.

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