Havana — Title 9 Ch. 9.12 Housing Discrimination § 9.12.030

Unlawful practices

In Force
Verified 11/10/2026 · Next check 2/8/2027
HavanaFair Housing & Anti-Discrimination

Operative Text

Havana — Title 9 Ch. 9.12 Housing Discrimination § 9.12.030
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 city for a person, owner, financial institution, real estate broker or real estate salesman, 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 race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth; or
B. To 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; or
C. To 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 race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth; or
D. To refuse to negotiate for the sale, purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation to a person because of his race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place or birth; or
E. To 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 race, color, religion, or national origin, sex or place of birth; or
F. To make, publish, print, circulate, post or mail, or cause to be made, published, printed, circulated, 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, 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 make a discrimination; or
G. To 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 such sale, purchase, rental or lease, or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith; or
H. To 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 or place of birth in the area to be affected by such 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 for any of the above, or the sale, purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation in any area in the city for the purpose of inducing or attempting to induce any such listing or any of the above transactions; or
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; or
K. To retaliate or discriminate in any manner against a person because he has opposed a practice declared unlawful by this chapter, or because he has filed a complaint, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, hearing or conference under this chapter; or
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; or
M. By canvassing, to commit any unlawful practices prohibited by this chapter; or
N. Otherwise to deny to, or withhold any housing accommodation from a person because of his race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex or place of birth; or
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 in the fixing of the amount, interest rate, duration, or other terms or conditions of such loans or other financial assistance, because of the race, color, religion, sex, or national origin of such person or of any person associated with him in connection with such loan or other financial assistance or the purposes of such loan or other financial assistance or of the present or prospective owners, lessees, tenants, or occupants of the dwelling or dwellings in relation to which such loan or other financial assistance is to be made or given; or
P. To deny any qualified person access to or membership or participation in 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 in the terms or conditions of such access, membership, or participation, on account of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Havana Title 9 Ch. 9.12 § 9.12.030 establishes a broad set of housing discrimination prohibitions that apply to virtually every stage of a residential real estate transaction within the city. Owners, brokers, financial institutions, and their representatives are barred from refusing, steering, misrepresenting, or otherwise treating people differently in the sale, purchase, rental, lease, or financing of housing based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, or place of birth. The provision also prohibits retaliatory conduct against anyone who opposes or reports a discriminatory practice, as well as blockbusting tactics designed to manipulate housing markets by exploiting fears about neighborhood demographic change.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on November 10, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners and managers operating under Havana § 9.12.030 generally ensure that all listings, advertising materials, application forms, and communications are free of any language or policy that signals a preference or restriction based on protected characteristics. Compliant operators apply consistent criteria when evaluating prospective tenants or buyers, make available units genuinely accessible for inspection to all interested parties, and avoid any arrangement—including accepting listings—where discrimination is understood to be part of the deal. Operators also take care not to retaliate against residents or applicants who raise concerns or participate in proceedings related to this chapter.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Under Havana § 9.12.030, residents and housing applicants have the right to be free from discriminatory refusals, unequal terms, misrepresentations about availability, and retaliatory treatment based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, or place of birth. If a person believes they have experienced one of the practices prohibited by this section—such as being told a unit is unavailable when it is not, or facing different lease terms than similarly situated applicants—they may consider documenting the conduct and exploring complaint processes available under Chapter 9.12. Tenant-rights organizations and fair-housing agencies can help individuals understand what options exist, including filing a complaint, raising a violation as a defense in a housing proceeding, or seeking other remedies under this chapter.

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 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

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References Out

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References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

IL Muni § 9.12.030

Related Rules

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§ 2
Policies; recommendations

Source Information

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