No person shall:
(A) Discriminatory terms. Discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability;
(B) Refusal to negotiate, deal, sell or rent. Refuse to sell or rent, after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any person because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability;
(C) Withholding dwellings. Represent to any person because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability that any dwelling is not available for inspection, sale or rental when the dwelling is in fact available;
(D) Discriminatory notices, statements and advertisements. Make, print, circulate or publish, or cause to be made, printed, circulated or published, any written or oral notice, statement or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling, that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability, or that indicates an intention to make the preference, limitation or discrimination. Discriminatory notices, statements and advertisements include but are not limited to:
(1) Using words, phrases, photographs, illustrations, symbols or forms which convey that dwellings are available or not available to a particular group of persons because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability;
(2) Expressing to agents, brokers, employees, prospective sellers or renters or any other persons a preference for or limitation on any purchaser or renter because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability;
(3) Selecting media or locations for advertising the sale or rental of dwellings which deny particular segments of the housing market information about housing opportunities because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability; and
(4) Refusing to publish advertising for the sale or rental of dwellings, or requiring different charges or terms for the advertising, because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability.
(E) Panic peddling. For profit, to induce or attempt to induce a person to sell or rent a dwelling by representation regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood of a person or persons of a particular race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability. Prohibited actions under this division include, but are not limited to:
(1) Engaging, for profit, in conduct (including uninvited solicitations for listings) which conveys to a person that a neighborhood is undergoing or is about to undergo a change in the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of persons residing in it, in order to encourage persons to offer a dwelling for sale or rent; and
(2) Encouraging or discouraging, for profit, any person to sell or rent a dwelling through assertions that the entry or prospective entry of persons of a particular race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability can or will result in undesirable consequences for the community, such as a lowering of property values, an increase in criminal or antisocial behavior or a decline in the quality of schools or other services or facilities.
(F) Lending. Discriminate in connection with borrowing or lending money, guaranteeing loans, accepting mortgages, or otherwise financing a real estate transaction, on the grounds of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability;
(G) Lending terms. Deny or delay the processing of a loan or other financial assistance to a person applying therefor for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling, or discriminate in the fixing of that amount, interest rate, duration or other terms or conditions of the loan or other financial assistance, because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(H) Appraising; insurance. Discriminate in the appraisal of the value of real estate or in the sale of insurance in connection with a real estate transaction because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(I) Varying rents; sale price. Impose different sale prices or rental charges for the sale or rental of a dwelling upon any person because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(J) Qualification criteria. Use different qualification criteria or applications, or different sale or rental standards or procedures, such as income standards, application requirements, application fees, credit analyses or sale or rental approval procedures or other requirements, because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(K) Evictions. Evict tenants because of their race, color, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability, or because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of a tenant’s guest;
(L) Listings. Enter into a listing agreement which discriminates against any person because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(M) Discrimination in membership or service. Deny any person access to, or membership or participation in, any multiple-listing service, real estate broker’s organization or other service, organization or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, or discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of access, membership or participation, on account of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of the person;
(N) Steering (restriction of choice). Restrict or attempt to restrict, because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability the choices of a person, by words or acts, in connection with buying or renting a dwelling so as to perpetuate, or tend to perpetuate, segregated housing patterns, or to discourage or obstruct integrated housing. Prohibited actions under this division, which are generally referred to as unlawful steering practices, include but are not limited to the following:
(1) Discouraging any person from inspecting, purchasing or renting a dwelling because of the race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability of persons in a community, neighborhood or development so as to perpetuate, or tend to perpetuate, segregate housing patterns, or to discourage or obstruct integrated housing;
(2) Discouraging or encouraging the purchase or rental of a dwelling because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or, by disability exaggerating drawbacks or failing to inform any person of desirable features of a dwelling or of a community, neighborhood or development, so as to perpetuate, or tend to perpetuate, segregated housing patterns, or to discourage or obstruct integrated housing;
(3) Communicating to any perspective purchaser that he or she would not be comfortable or compatible with existing residents of a community, neighborhood or development because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability, so as to perpetuate, or tend to perpetuate, segregated housing patterns, or to discourage or obstruct integrated housing;
(4) Assigning any person to a particular section of a community, neighborhood or development, or to a particular floor of a building, because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability; and
(5) Failing to inform any person of available housing opportunities in a particular section of a community, neighborhood or development, or in a particular building or particular floor of a building, because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, military discharge status, marital status, familial status or disability so as to perpetuate, or tend to perpetuate, segregated housing patterns, or to discourage or obstruct integrated housing.
(O) Solicitation. Solicit any owner to sell, rent or list residential property at any time after the person has notice that the owner does not desire to sell, rent or list the residential property. For the purpose of this division, notice must be provided as follows:
(1) The notice may be given by the owner personally or by a third party in the owner’s name, either in the form of an individual notice or a list, provided that it complies with division (O)(2) hereof.
(2) The notice shall be explicit as to whether each owner on the notice seeks to avoid both solicitation for listing and sale, or only for listing, or only for sale, as well as the period of time for which any avoidance is desired. The notice shall be dated and either of the following shall apply:
(a) Each owner shall have signed the notice; or
(b) The person or other entity preparing the notice shall provide an accompanying affidavit to the effect that all the names on the notice are, in fact, genuine as to the identity of the persons listed and that the persons have requested not to be solicited as indicated.
(3) The individual notice or notice in the form of a list with the accompanying affidavit shall be served personally or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
(4) The Community Relations Commission shall publish and make available, without charge, appropriate forms which may be executed by any owner or occupant of a dwelling to provide the notice. The Commission shall prepare a list of names and addresses of the owners and occupants and shall update the list no less than annually during the month of January and shall publish the same as follows:
(a) By maintaining a copy of the list in the office of the Commission and making it available for inspection;
(b) By furnishing a copy of the list annually to every real estate firm belonging to the local multiple-listing service; and
(c) By furnishing a copy of the list upon request and payment of reproduction costs to any person having an interest in the sale or rental of any dwelling in the city.
(P) Participation in discrimination. Act or undertake to act as a real estate broker, salesperson or agent with respect to any dwelling the disposition of which requires the person to participate in discrimination;
(Q) Restrictions. Perform any act of discrimination with the intention or effect of restricting or limiting the housing choice of any person;
(R) Aiding and abetting. Aid or abet acts performed in violation of this chapter; and
(S) Interference, coercion or intimidation. Coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, on account of the person having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of the person having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by this chapter.
(Ord. 08-36, passed 5-27-2008)
Statutory reference:
Division (O)(4) is drawn from ILCS Ch. 720, Act 590, §§ 1, 2 and 3