05/27/2021
You’ve saved up for the down payment, conducted extensive online research, and engaged with a Realtor to guide you through the process of becoming a homeowner, help you find the perfect home, and get you to closing.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community want just that — a typical real estate transaction. However, we are fully aware and fear that housing discrimination can rear its ugly head and prevent a smooth process. These fears wouldn’t be unfounded.
Many in the real estate community are surprised to learn that sexual orientation and gender identity are not protected classes under the Fair Housing Act. In fact, 27 states offer no housing protections for LBGTQ+ people. That is why the Equality Act, which would make housing discrimination and credit discrimination against our community at the federal level illegal, is so important.
A recent survey of LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance members revealed where that discrimination is visible. More than 1 in 10 experienced discrimination from a real estate professional in the renting and homebuying process, and that nearly 1 in 7 reported they signed legal forms (mortgage, purchase agreement, title, etc.) that did not adequately represent their life experience.
We know that housing discrimination — and the fear of discrimination — plays a role in the LGBTQ+ community’s low homeownership rate.
UCLA’s Williams Institute shares that the LGBTQ+ homeownership rate is 49.8 percent, almost a 16-point gap from the overall U.S. mark of 65.6 percent just reported by the U.S. Census.
https://www.inman.com/2021/05/18/how-lgbtq-discrimination-hinders-path-to-homeownership/?fbclid=IwAR2G2obXEmSWy-r0cBZwZ6vqJgTYyRXNJjpkJ99c7ZIYpp7mSb6Pp24HICc
For the LGBTQ+ community, housing discrimination is preceded by many other impactful forms of discrimination that create barriers to homeownership.