In connection with any of the transactions set forth in this section which affect any housing accommodation on the open market, or in connection with any public sale, purchase, rental, or lease of any housing accommodation, it shall be unlawful within the town for a person, owner, financial institution, real estate broker or real estate salesperson, or any representative of the above, to:
(A) Refuse to sell, purchase, rent or lease, or deny to or withhold any housing accommodation from a person because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status;
(B) Discriminate against a person in the terms, conditions or privileges of the sale, purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation, or in the furnishing of facilities of services in connection therewith;
(C) Refuse to receive or transmit a bona fide offer to sell, purchase, rent, or lease any housing accommodation from or to a person because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status;
(D) Refuse to negotiate for the sale, purchase, rental, or lease of any housing accommodation to a person because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status;
(E) Represent to a person that any housing accommodation is not available for inspection, sale, purchase, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to refuse to permit a person to inspect any housing accommodation because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status;
(F) Make, publish, print, circulate, post or mail, or cause to be made, published, printed, circulated, or posted or mailed, any notice, statement, or advertisement, or to announce a policy, or to sign or to use a form of application for the sale, purchase, rental, lease, or financing of any housing accommodation, or to make a record of inquiry in connection with the prospective sale, purchase, rental, lease, or financing of any housing accommodation, which indicates any discrimination or any intent to discriminate;
(G) Offer, solicit, accept, or use a listing of any housing accommodation for sale, purchase, rental, or lease with the understanding that a person may be subjected to discrimination in connection with the sale, purchase, rental, or lease, or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;
(H) Induce directly or indirectly, or attempt to induce directly or indirectly, the sale, purchase, rental, or lease, or the listing for any of the above, of any housing accommodation by representing that the presence or anticipated presence of persons of any particular race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status, or in the area to be affected by the sale, purchase, rental, or lease will or may result in either:
(1) The lowering of property values in the area;
(2) An increase in criminal or antisocial behavior in the area; or
(3) A decline in the quality of schools serving the area.
(I) To make any misrepresentations concerning the listing for sale, purchase, rental, or lease, or the anticipated listing of any of the above, or the sale, purchase, rental, or lease of any housing accommodation in any area in the town for the purpose of inducing, or attempting to induce, any like listing or any of the above transactions;
(J) To engage in, or hire to be done, or to conspire with others to commit acts or activities of any nature, the purpose of which is to coerce, cause panic, incite unrest, or create or play upon fear, with the purpose of either discouraging or inducing, or attempting to induce, the sale, purchase, rental or lease, or the listing for any of the above, of any housing accommodation;
(K) To retaliate or discriminate in any manner against a person because he or she has opposed a practice declared unlawful by this section, or because he or she has filed a complaint, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, hearing, or conference under this chapter;
(L) To aid, abet, incite, compel, or coerce any person to engage in any of the practices prohibited by this chapter; or to obstruct or prevent any person from complying with the provisions of this chapter; or any order issued thereunder;
(M) By canvassing, to commit any unlawful practices prohibited by this chapter;
(N) Otherwise to deny to, or withhold any housing accommodation from a person because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status;
(O) For any bank, building and loan association, insurance company, or other corporation, association, firm, or enterprise whose business consists, in whole or in part, in the making of commercial real estate loans, to deny a loan or other financial assistance to a person applying therefor for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing, or maintaining a dwelling, or to discriminate against him or her in the fixing of the amount, interest rate, duration, or other terms or conditions of the loans or other financial assistance, because of the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status of the person or of any person associated with him or her in connection with the loan or other financial assistance or the purposes of the loan or other financial assistance or of the present to prospective owners, lessees, tenants, or occupants of the dwelling or dwellings in relation to which the loan or other financial assistance is to be made or given; or
(P) To deny any qualified person access to or membership or participation to any multiple-listing service, real estate brokers’ organization, or other service, organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, or to discriminate against him or her in the terms or conditions of access, membership, or participation, on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status, or HIV-positive status.
(1992 Code, § 6-73) (Ord. 963, § 2, passed 1-27-1998) Penalty, see § 95.99