Ashland — Ch. 20 Human Relations § 20-31
Refusals of offers
Operative Text
It shall be an unlawful housing practice and a violation of this article for any real estate agent or other person to refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer for the purchase, sale, exchange or lease of any dwelling or housing because of the race, color, religion, gender, creed, ancestry, national origin, or physical or mental disability of the person making such offer.
Section 20-31 of Ashland's Human Relations chapter prohibits real estate agents and others involved in housing transactions from refusing to accept or pass along a genuine offer to buy, sell, exchange, or lease a dwelling when that refusal is motivated by the offeror's race, color, religion, gender, creed, ancestry, national origin, or physical or mental disability. The rule applies to the act of receiving or transmitting the offer itself, meaning the protected conduct begins at the earliest stage of a transaction. This provision is part of Ashland's broader fair housing framework under Chapter 20.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 20-31, real estate agents and other housing professionals acting on behalf of property owners are expected to receive and transmit all bona fide offers regardless of the offeror's protected characteristics. Compliant operators typically maintain consistent documentation practices that show every offer was received and communicated to the relevant parties without regard to race, color, religion, gender, creed, ancestry, national origin, or disability. Owners who work with agents should be aware that their representatives' conduct in handling offers can implicate this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 20-31 gives prospective buyers, renters, and exchangers the right to have their genuine offers received and transmitted without discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, disability, or national origin. If a person believes an offer was refused or withheld on one of these grounds, Ashland's Human Relations article provides a framework for raising that as a violation. Affected individuals may consider contacting Ashland's human relations or fair housing office, a local tenant-rights organization, or a legal aid provider to understand available complaint and enforcement paths.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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