15 free questions from the Cinna RE fair housing bank (102 in the app). Tap an answer to check it. The rationale opens right away.
A person who believes they have suffered housing discrimination generally must file a complaint with HUD within what time period after the alleged discriminatory act?
Answer: C. One year
A complaint must be filed with HUD within one year of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. (A separate civil lawsuit in federal court may be filed within two years.)
A lender systematically refuses to make mortgage loans in certain neighborhoods regardless of an individual applicant's qualifications. This discriminatory lending practice is called:
Answer: C. Redlining
Redlining is the illegal practice of denying or restricting loans in specific geographic areas, often correlated with the racial composition of those neighborhoods.
Which of the following phrases in a rental advertisement would most likely be considered a violation of the Fair Housing Act?
Answer: B. 'Adults only, no kids allowed'
'Adults only, no kids allowed' expresses a preference against families with children, violating the familial-status protection. The other phrases describe the property neutrally.
When an appraiser or lender systematically assigns lower values or denies financing to properties in minority neighborhoods, contributing to redlining, the legal theory used to challenge this even without explicit intent is:
Answer: A. Disparate impact (discriminatory effect)
Disparate impact theory allows a fair housing claim when a facially neutral policy or practice has a discriminatory effect on a protected class, even without proof of intent to discriminate.
Inducing owners to sell by suggesting members of a protected class are moving into the neighborhood is the illegal practice of:
Answer: A. Blockbusting
Blockbusting (panic selling) is illegal. Steering channels buyers by protected class; redlining denies lending/insurance by area.
After HUD investigates a fair housing complaint and finds reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, where is the matter typically heard if a party elects an administrative proceeding?
Answer: A. Before a HUD administrative law judge
If reasonable cause is found and no party elects to go to federal court, the case is heard by a HUD administrative law judge (ALJ) in an administrative hearing.
A real estate advertisement reads: 'Charming 2-bedroom apartment, perfect for a young Christian couple, no children.' This ad violates the Fair Housing Act because it expresses a preference based on:
Answer: B. Religion and familial status
Referencing 'Christian' indicates a religious preference and 'no children' indicates a familial-status preference, both prohibited in advertising under the Fair Housing Act.
Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which of the following is NOT a permissible basis for denying a credit application?
Answer: C. The applicant's receipt of public assistance income
ECOA prohibits denying credit because an applicant receives income from a public assistance program; income, credit history, and debt ratios are legitimate creditworthiness factors.
Instead of filing a complaint with HUD, an aggrieved person may file a private civil lawsuit in federal court within what time period after the discriminatory act?
Answer: B. Two years
Under the Fair Housing Act, an aggrieved person may bring a private civil action in federal or state court within two years of the discriminatory housing practice.
An online rental listing platform allows advertisers to exclude users by age and family status from seeing housing ads. Targeting ads to exclude protected classes most likely constitutes:
Answer: B. Discriminatory advertising under the Fair Housing Act
Limiting who can see housing advertisements based on protected characteristics such as age (familial status) makes or causes to be made statements that indicate a preference or limitation, violating the Fair Housing Act's advertising provisions.
An apartment community advertises that it qualifies as 'housing for older persons' and refuses to rent to families with children. For this exemption from familial status protection to apply, the community generally must meet the 55-and-older standard, which requires that at least:
Answer: B. 80% of occupied units have at least one resident 55 or older
Under the housing for older persons exemption, the 55-or-older community must have at least 80% of occupied units occupied by at least one person 55 or older, plus publish and follow policies demonstrating intent to be senior housing.
Under the Fair Housing Act's seven design and construction requirements for covered multifamily dwellings, which feature is required?
Answer: B. Accessible common and public use areas
The Act's design requirements mandate accessible common and public use areas, accessible entrances on an accessible route, usable doors, accessible routes into and through units, accessible switches and outlets, reinforced bathroom walls, and usable kitchens and bathrooms.
The owner of a single family home sells it himself, without an agent or discriminatory advertising, and refuses to sell to a buyer because of her religion. Under federal law this is:
Answer: B. Potentially within the FSBO exemption of the Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act's FSBO exemption (owner of ≤3 single-family homes, no agent, no discriminatory ads) can cover religion-based refusal — distasteful but exempt. RACE would never be exempt (1866 Act). Many states remove these exemptions — federal question, federal answer.
Which characteristic is protected under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act but is NOT one of the protected classes under the federal Fair Housing Act?
Answer: C. Marital status
Marital status and age are protected under ECOA but are not protected classes under the federal Fair Housing Act, which covers race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability.
In new multifamily buildings of four or more units built for first occupancy after March 1991, the Fair Housing Act requires:
Answer: B. Accessibility design and construction features for persons with disabilities
The 1988 amendments require covered multifamily dwellings (4+ units) built for first occupancy after March 13, 1991 to include accessibility features such as accessible routes and usable doors.
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