Housing Discrimination: What To Do

Do you think you were discriminated against in housing?

Contact us

Fill out our Legal Help Request form. Tell us what happened. We will call you back. You can also call us at 1-800-889-2047.

What happens when you contact us? We will ask you questions. We will give you legal advice about your situation. You will decide if you want to take legal action. You can decide not to do anything. We won’t tell anyone else what you told us unless you decide to take action.

File a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) investigates when Vermont’s fair housing laws are broken. Vermont’s fair housing laws protect against discrimination based on all federal fair housing law bases plus more Vermont bases. Vermont’s fair housing law protects against discrimination in dwellings based on race, color, national origin, immigration status, citizenship, religion, being pregnant or living with a child younger than 18, receiving public assistance or benefits, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, being a victim of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault, disability, age and marital status.

When you contact the Human Rights Commission, you are requesting an investigation. An HRC investigator will talk to you and to the person you believe discriminated against you. The investigator will also talk to witnesses.

If the HRC finds that you were discriminated against, they will try to help you and the person who discriminated against you settle your claims. If you don’t settle, the HRC will file a lawsuit against the housing provider. Or, you can file a lawsuit and use what the HRC found as evidence in your case.

To ask for an investigation from the HRC: