California Civil Rights Department, Housing Discrimination

The housing is government subsidized, such as when the housing provider is a government entity, or the recipient of federal or state funding for affordable housing, or part of a government entity’s program or activities to provide housing

The modifications are needed because of a failure to maintain the housing, especially of it involves an accessible feature (such as an elevator)

The accessibility feature was required by building and accessibility codes at the time of construction, but the building/housing provider failed to comply with those codes

Can a housing provider refuse to rent to someone because of their source of income?

No. California law protects tenants from discrimination based on how a tenant will be paying rent (“source of income”). This includes the State of California’s COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers, (SSI) social security disability benefits, or wages earned from a job. Some examples of source of income discrimination include:

Refusal to comply with the requirements of any public assistance, rental assistance, or housing subsidy program, such as refusing to fill out necessary paperwork or to provide necessary information or documents

Applying different terms, conditions, and privileges to a tenancy based on the applicant or renter’s source of income, such as charging a higher security deposit for Section 8 applicants or refusing to allow tenants who are using rental assistance from using a pool or other amenities

Advertising a preference or limitation based on a tenant’s source of income, such as including in an a “No Section 8.”

For more information, see CRD’s Source of Income Discrimination factsheet and Source of Income FAQ