Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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Discrimination and Tenants’ Rights
Many housing providers in the private market discriminate against voucher holders on the basis of their source of
income, which is illegal in Massachusetts. A discussion of this and other forms of discrimination in the housing
market is found in Discrimination by Real Estate Professionals on page 92.
Voucher holders faced many barriers in asserting their rights as tenants, as a result of both lack of information
and well-founded fear of retaliation. Participants in this plan’s public engagement process cited difficulties
finding clear and readily available information on tenants’ rights, whether through the Town’s website or
elsewhere. One participant was unsure how her living situation would be categorized in the Zoning Bylaw and
what her landlord’s responsibilities were. Another could not find information about how to request a reasonable
accommodation, or whether her need would qualify. Describing the process of seeking information on her rights
as a tenant, she said: “You don’t realize how tough something is until you actually experience it.”