People tweeting this weekend with Burlington's hashtag called out a Craigslist rental that listed racial specifications for would-be tenants.

"Nice clean apartment in downtown Burlington. Near church street. . 850 a month . No pets White Vermonters only."

Twitter users discussed the legality of setting down these restrictions, with one arguing the owner of the rental property can choose who uses their space, while the original person — who tweeted a photograph of the Craigslist post — said federal law made it illegal to discriminate.

A link provided in the thread on Twitter indicated Craigslist had flagged the post for removal.

Federal housing discrimination laws

Discrimination based on national origin, color, race, religion and sex are illegal under the national Fair Housing Act. This law took effect as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Familial status and disability were incorporated as protected categories 20 years later.

Housing providers cannot discriminate across these categories, whether they are selling or renting, according to Vermont Legal Aid's Rental Discrimination Report. The department of Housing and Urban Development houses the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, an agency that investigates complaints including:

"Discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (including housing that is privately owned and operated)"

"Discrimination and other civil rights violations in housing and community development programs, including those funded by HUD"

What Vermont says about housing discrimination

Vermont protects the categories included in federal law, as well as five additional categories:

Gender identity

Age

Sexual orientation

Marital status

Receipt of public assistance

Active efforts to address housing discrimination, according to the state of Vermont's website, include the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, which is conducted every five years "to identify barriers to fair housing choice in Vermont and recommend actions to overcome them."

In Vermont, is illegal in the state for a landlord to discriminate based on race, according to the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity.

Exceptions

There are a couple instances where the state's housing discrimination law doesn't apply, according to CVOEO. These include:

Rental units that are not big enough for the family wanting to live there (relying on applicable occupancy standards)

Religious preferences for tenants sharing the same religion as the association that provides/rents rooms (not for profit)

Not renting to someone below "the age of majority" (meaning people who are 18 years old aside from minors who are emancipated)

Buildings with three apartments or less: If the owner or the owner's immediate family lives in one of those apartments. "(In Burlington, local fair housing law applies to a building occupied by an owner or member of the owner’s immediate family if there are more than two units in the building.)"

Rentals for individuals who are elderly "which do not rent to families with children but only if the housing is occupied only by people over 62 years of age" Or if at least one individual older than 55 lives in each rental unit "and the housing complex either provides significant facilities and services or important housing opportunities for the elderly."



Resources for Vermonters

You can reach out to a number of resources if you feel like you have experienced housing discrimination. Organizations and resources are available to Vermonters and accessible on the state's website that provide information and/or assistance. These include:

Contact Maleeha Syed at mzsyed@freepressmedia.com or 802-495-6595. Follow her on Twitter @MaleehaSyed89.