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Fair Housing

Waterfront Homes is committed to the letter and spirit of the federal Fair Housing Act and to equal housing opportunity. Everyone should be able to search for a home, ask questions, and buy or rent without facing discrimination.

The Fair Housing Act

The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing, in mortgage lending, and in other housing-related activities. According to HUD's Fair Housing: Rights and Obligations page, the Act protects people from discrimination because of:

  • Race
  • Color
  • National origin
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • Familial status
  • Disability

Many states and local governments add further protections. Check with your state or local fair housing agency to learn what applies where you live.

How Waterfront Homes avoids steering

Steering means guiding people toward or away from homes or neighborhoods because of a protected characteristic. Federal regulations at 24 CFR 100.70 describe steering practices that are prohibited, such as discouraging someone from looking at a home, or exaggerating a home's drawbacks, because of a protected characteristic.

Here is how we approach it:

  • Same results for everyone. Search results depend on the filters you choose, such as location, price, property type, beds, baths, type of water and waterfront relationship. They do not change based on who you are.
  • Filters describe properties, not people. Waterfront filters are based on what each listing reports about the property and the water. We do not offer filters or rankings based on the people who live in an area.
  • No neighborhood labels. Our articles and pages do not describe areas, lakes or shorelines as "good," "safe," "exclusive," "family friendly," or with similar terms that can signal who is or is not welcome. We stick to facts about properties and processes, and we point you to public sources you can check yourself.
  • Direct contact with listing agents. When you contact a listing agent or brokerage through the site, your message goes to them as you wrote it.

Listing descriptions are written by the listing brokerages, not by Waterfront Homes. If you see listing language that you believe is discriminatory, please report it through our report form (choose "Fair housing concern") or our contact page so we can review it and notify the listing source.

Accessibility and reasonable accommodations

People with disabilities have rights under the Fair Housing Act, including the right to request reasonable accommodations and modifications. Questions about a specific property, such as access to a dock or the shoreline, should go to the listing agent or the property's management. For help using this website, see our accessibility statement.

How to report housing discrimination

If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, you can report it to HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). HUD's Report Housing Discrimination page lists these options:

  • Online: File a report through HUD's online form at hud.gov/reporthousingdiscrimination.
  • Phone: Call an FHEO intake specialist at 1-800-669-9777. HUD notes that it accepts calls through the Telecommunications Relay Service.
  • Mail: Print a form and mail it to your regional FHEO office.

HUD notes that there are time limits for filing, so it is best to report as soon as possible. You may also be able to file with a state or local fair housing agency.

Contact us

If you have a concern about anything on Waterfront Homes related to fair housing, please reach out through our contact page.