What should licensees do to comply with the FHA during showings?

• A. Treat all prospective buyers or renters equally, avoid questions about protected status, and present property information neutrally.
• B. Ask about race, religion, or national origin to tailor tours.
• C. Exclude people who appear to be low income.
• D. Only show properties in certain neighborhoods.

Answer: (A)

Complying with the Fair Housing Act during showings means treating all prospective buyers or renters equally, avoiding questions about protected status, and presenting property information neutrally. The FHA prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. So, during showings, licensees should invite every qualified person to consider each available property, provide access to viewing opportunities, and answer questions about the property in the same neutral way for everyone. They should refrain from asking about protected characteristics or using that information to tailor tours, and they should avoid steering or implying that certain neighborhoods or properties are more suitable for people of particular protected statuses. In practice, this means showing all properties that meet the buyer’s stated criteria, sharing factual details about each property without bias, and keeping communications and decisions free of bias. Choices that involve asking about race or religion to tailor tours, excluding people who appear low income, or showing only in select neighborhoods based on protected characteristics are inconsistent with FHA obligations.