March 01, 2026

Scan this Code for a list of useful links and resources.

April is Fair Housing Month and it’s an excellent time to refresh your knowledge about all things fair housing. Feel free to review and share these materials in your brokerage.

What is fair housing?

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination by housing providers and other institutions, such as banks and insurance companies, based on seven protected classes: race, color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Familial Status, and Disability.

What does discrimination look like?

Discrimination may take many forms, including:

• Refusing to rent or sell housing
• Refusing to negotiate for housing
• Otherwise making housing unavailable
• Setting different terms, conditions, or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
• Making, printing, or publishing any notice, statement, or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination.

What kinds of training are available?

The National Association of REALTORS® offers its Fairhaven 2.0 online simulation course at nar.realtor/fair-housing/fairhaven. This free, interactive course presents realistic situations with historical context and teaches how to respond to them. If you haven’t completed this course, doing so meets your required NAR fair housing/anti-bias training for this three-year period, which has a deadline of December 31, 2027.

NAR also schedules sessions of Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing. This course teaches you how to interrupt stereotypical thinking and provide professional service to every client.

Another valuable NAR training option is the At Home With Diversity course. It focuses on working successfully in the ever-changing multicultural market and helps you develop cultural competency, build inclusive business practices, and better serve clients from diverse backgrounds.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs hosts webinars on fair housing in Texas. Its 2025 overview is available on YouTube.

What if I have questions?

Texas REALTORS® has answers to frequently asked questions at texasrealestate.com. The association also offers the Legal Hotline at 512-480-8200 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Staff attorneys can provide information related to fair housing laws and rules.

Where can I find more information?

The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice have information on the Fair Housing Act and national fair housing laws on their websites. TDHCA and the Texas Workforce Commission have also published state-level resources and information online.

NAR has a Fair Housing Month toolkit accessible at nar.realtor/fair-housing/fair-housing-month/fair-housing-month-toolkit. You can keep up with legal updates at NAR’s Fair Housing Corner at nar.realtor/fair-housing-corner.

By keeping fair housing top of mind, you’re not just serving every client equally; you’re helping create a stronger real estate market for everyone!