Delaware General Assembly

Signed 8/3/16

The General Assembly has ended, the current status is the final status.

1/21/16

Townsend

Sen. McDowell
Rep. Q. Johnson

Reps. Kowalko, Mitchell

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 6 AND 25 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FAIR HOUSING.

This bill prohibits housing discrimination based on source of income by adding “source of income” as a protected class under the Delaware Fair Housing Act and the Landlord Tenant Code.  A person may still take into account sufficiency of income and credit worthiness of a tenant or buyer, so long as any standards are applied neutrally without regard to the source of income.  There is also an exception for landlords who are employees of a housing authority and are prohibited by their employer’s conflict of interest policy from renting to persons receiving housing assistance payments. The bill contains language specifying that landlords will not be compelled to participate in rental assistance programs, and that the bill is not meant to prevent landlords who do participate in housing programs from reserving a certain number of units for that purpose.  This measure will prevent and address discrimination against those who receive part or all of their income from child support, government or private assistance programs, or any lawful occupation.

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Takes effect upon being signed into law

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