Which of the following would be exempt from the Fair Housing Laws?

• A. The rental of rooms or units in an owner-occupied one-to four-family dwelling.
• B. The sale of a home by an individual who does not use a broker.
• C. The rental of a unit in a building with more than four units.
• D. Advertising discriminatory housing.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that some small, private owner rentals are carved out from the Fair Housing Act’s protections. Specifically, when the dwelling is owner-occupied and has up to four units, the owner may rent rooms or units without the same restrictions that apply to larger, non-owner-occupied properties. This exemption exists to acknowledge the private, home-based nature of such arrangements.

Therefore, renting out rooms or a unit in an owner-occupied 1-4 family dwelling falls under that exemption. The other scenarios aren’t as clearly exempt: renting in a building with more than four units isn’t exempt and is generally subject to the Fair Housing Act; advertising discriminatory housing is illegal; and a private sale by an individual who doesn’t use a broker can be exempt only under additional conditions (not specified here), so the clearly applicable exemption is the owner-occupied small dwelling.