South Holland — Ch. 8.5 Housing § 8.5-91
Exemptions
Operative Text
Nothing in this article, other than the prohibition against discriminatory advertising ( section 8.5-53 ), shall: (1) Apply to the rental, lease, or occupancy of a room in an owner-occupied single family dwelling, provided the owner does not own or have any interest in more than three (3) single family houses at any one (1) time; (2) Prohibit a religious organization, association, or society, or any non-profit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which it owns or operates for other than commercial purposes to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted because of race, color, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, or age; (3) Prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodgings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodgings to its members and their guests or from giving preference to its members; (4) Prohibit the rental or sale of a dwelling on the basis of age or disability when such dwelling is authorized, approved, financed, or subsidized in whole or in part by a unit of state, local, or federal government; (5) Limit the applicability of any reasonable local, state, or federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling; (6) Require the rental or sale of a unit to any person convicted of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance; (7) With regard to discrimination based on familial status, apply with respect to housing for older persons as defined in section 8.5-44 of this article; (8) Prohibit financial institutions from considering sound underwriting practices in contemplation of any loan to any person. Such practices shall include the following: a. The willingness and the financial ability of the borrower to repay the loan. b. The market value of any real estate or other item of property proposed as security for any loan. c. Diversification of the financial institution's investment portfolio. (9) Prohibit a person engaged in the business of furnishing appraisals of real property from taking into consideration factors other than race, color, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, or age. (10) Prohibit affirmative marketing activities.
South Holland Ch. 8.5 Housing § 8.5-91 carves out specific situations where the article's fair-housing requirements do not apply, even though the ban on discriminatory advertising under § 8.5-53 remains in force throughout. These exemptions cover scenarios such as owner-occupied single-family rentals (subject to ownership limits), religiously affiliated housing, private clubs, government-authorized age- or disability-restricted housing, and standard financial underwriting practices. The provision also clarifies that occupancy-limit laws, restrictions on renting to certain drug-offense convicts, and affirmative marketing activities are unaffected by the article's general requirements.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating under one of the categories described in § 8.5-91 — such as an owner-occupant renting a room in a single-family home while holding an interest in no more than three such homes — generally document their eligibility for the applicable exemption and maintain records that support that status. Operators of religiously affiliated or private-club housing typically ensure their policies align with the specific conditions the exemption sets, including the restriction that membership or preference cannot be based on race, color, or other protected characteristics. Regardless of which exemption may apply, compliant operators continue to observe the discriminatory-advertising prohibition found in § 8.5-53, which is explicitly excluded from the exemptions.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 8.5-91, certain housing situations — including rooms rented in qualifying owner-occupied homes, religiously affiliated dwellings, and government-subsidized senior or disability housing — may fall outside the article's standard fair-housing protections, though the ban on discriminatory advertising in § 8.5-53 still applies universally. Tenants who believe a landlord is improperly claiming an exemption to justify differential treatment can review the specific conditions each exemption requires, such as the ownership-count limit for single-family homes or the non-commercial-purpose requirement for religious organizations. Those with concerns about whether an exemption is being applied correctly may consider contacting a local tenant-rights organization or a fair-housing agency for general information about available complaint processes.
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.
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