Mrs. Murphy: owner-occupied ≤4 units — again, never for race, never with an agent
Before you read
Test yourself first: 5 questions
Question 1 of 5
How many classes are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act?
Answer: C. Seven: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability (handicap).
Question 2 of 5
A lender refusing to make loans in certain neighborhoods regardless of the applicant's qualifications is:
Answer: A. Redlining is the illegal practice of denying lending or insurance in specific areas, often correlating with protected classes.
Question 3 of 5
Qualified 'housing for older persons' communities may lawfully:
Answer: A. Senior-housing communities meeting the legal criteria are exempt from the familial-status rule and may limit residency by age — but never by other protected classes.
Question 4 of 5
Which is NOT a class protected by the FEDERAL Fair Housing Act (though some states add it)?
Answer: A. Source of income, sexual orientation, age, and marital status are not in the seven federal classes, though many states/localities protect them.
Question 5 of 5
Which of the following is NOT one of the seven protected classes under the federal Fair Housing Act?
Answer: C. Marital status is not a federally protected class. The seven federal classes are race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability (handicap).
Keep the streak going with more questions like these, each with a full rationale.
Must-know rules
- Federal 7: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status
- RACE has NO exemptions ever (Civil Rights Act 1866)
- FSBO exemption: owner of ≤3 homes, NO agent, NO discriminatory ads
- Mrs. Murphy: owner-occupied ≤4 units — again, never for race, never with an agent
- States/cities often ADD classes (age, source of income, orientation) — more protective wins
Protected Classes & Exemptions: FAQs
Is Protected Classes & Exemptions on the real estate exam?
Yes. Fair Housing & Ethics is a scored domain on the real estate licensing exam, and this topic appears in the national portion.
Is this cheat sheet free?
Yes — every page on Cinna RE's resource library is free to read, print and share. The app adds practice questions, mock exams and a readiness score.
