craigslist

You can’t write an ad that says you want to live with a female, gay person, Christian, or whatever category you might really care about. That’s illegal. The law says you may not make a public discriminatory statement about your preferences. While this may seem crazy, you do get to decide who you live with. Stick with me.

In the United States, housing sales and rentals are governed by The Fair Housing Act (FHA), a law first passed in 1968 to prevent sellers and landlords from discriminating against people based on “race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability).” See more here. It’s a good law that has changed housing in this country.

It has the unintended consequence of raising the issue of whether you can discriminate about whom you live with inside a dwelling. [click to continue…]

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What Everyone Ought to Know about Roommate Ads

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You are looking for one person. Out of an entire crowd of potential housemates, you are looking for one that suits you. So you have to write an ad that speaks to that person. What follows is a great ad. (Found In Craigslist.) Can you tell what makes it great? ______________________________________ Subject: Future Awesome Housemate. [...]

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How to Find Out Where That Posting Is. Very Cool App to the Rescue!

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Ever been frustrated because you don’t know the streets and neighborhoods well enough to know if a place for rent is right for you or not? Ever juggled open browser windows between craigslist and Google maps? Or worse, tried to find the street on a paper map? Never again. Related Posts:How to Write a Great [...]

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Michigan Woman Charged in Anti-discrimination Roommate Posting

Fox news picked up on a story about a 31-year-old woman who posted an ad on her church bulletin board looking for a Christian roommate.  Someone saw it and filed an anti-discrimination complaint with the Fair Housing Center who then referred it to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. The Christian Right is up at [...]

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Internet Matching Services

While Craigslist simply offers the ability to post, there are internet services that offer matching services. For a (in general) small fee you can get an account and are prompted through questions that create your profile. Since everyone has a profile, it is possible to search for housemates that match your criteria. You can also [...]

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