Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act is the 1968 federal law that bans discrimination in renting, selling and financing housing. It protects seven characteristics: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability.

The act does not set or prohibit an income requirement. A landlord may use the 3x rent rule. What the act forbids is applying it unevenly, such as asking families with children for 4 times the rent while everyone else needs 3.

Income level is not a protected characteristic under the federal law. Many states and cities add source of income to their own lists, which stops landlords from rejecting applicants because their income comes from a voucher or benefits. Written criteria applied the same way to every applicant are a landlord's best protection.