Fair Housing in Massachusetts: Your Protections Against Discrimination
Massachusetts bars housing discrimination based on 14 protected categories — including source of income, which means "No Section 8" is illegal, not just impolite.
Under M.G.L. c. 151B, Massachusetts landlords cannot discriminate based on race, disability, familial status, source of income (including Section 8 vouchers), and more. Here's what's protected, what discrimination actually looks like, and how to file a complaint.
BLUF: 14 Protected Categories, One Powerful Law
📋The 14 Protected Categories
- •Race, color, national origin or ancestry
- •Religion
- •Sex and gender identity
- •Sexual orientation
- •Age (18 or older)
- •Disability (physical or mental)
- •Marital status
- •Veteran or active military status
- •Genetic information
- •Familial status — having children, or being pregnant
- •Source of income — including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, RAFT, HomeBASE, and other public assistance or subsidy programs
🔍What Discrimination Actually Looks Like
| Example | Why it's illegal |
|---|---|
"No Section 8" in a listing | Source-of-income discrimination — illegal regardless of the landlord's reasoning |
Refusing to rent to a family because they have kids | Familial status discrimination |
Charging a voucher holder a higher rent or extra fees | Source-of-income discrimination |
Refusing a reasonable accommodation (e.g., an exception to a no-pets policy for a service or support animal) | Disability discrimination — accommodation is legally required unless it's an undue burden |
Steering an applicant away from certain units or buildings based on race or national origin | Race/national origin discrimination |
Requiring a voucher holder to meet conditions not required of other applicants (e.g., a longer lease than the voucher requires) | Source-of-income discrimination |
♿Reasonable Accommodations for Disability
Housing providers must grant reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities — exceptions to standard policies (like a no-pets rule, to allow a service or support animal) or physical modifications (like grab bars or a ramp), unless doing so would impose an undue financial or administrative burden or fundamentally alter the housing. A disability doesn't need to be visible or permanent to qualify — it covers physical and mental conditions that substantially limit a major life activity.
📝How to File a Complaint
- •Document everything: save the listing, screenshots, texts, emails, and note dates and what was said.
- •File with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) or the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division — both accept housing discrimination complaints, generally within 300 days of the discriminatory act.
- •You can also file a federal complaint with HUD if the conduct violates federal fair housing law, in addition to or instead of a state complaint.
- •Remedies can include damages, an order to rent to you, civil penalties against the landlord, and attorney's fees.
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Where to start
Not legal advice
Sources
Experienced housing discrimination?
Filing with MCAD or the AG's Civil Rights Division is free — here's how to start.
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