There are three formal ways to make a complaint: file for administrative enforcement with  the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development, the State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, or by filing a lawsuit in court. Persons who believe they have been victims of discrimination can do any of these in any order Housing discrimination complaints based on federal law through the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development can be filed in any one of the following ways:

   •   Completing an online form at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/online-complaint.cfm
   •   By a phone call to 1-800-669-9777
   •   Filling out a printed form which can be downloaded from:
          http://www.hud.gov/utilities/intercept.cfm?/offices/adm/hudclips/forms/
          files/903-1.pdf
   •   Writing a letter outlining your complaint which contains:
              Your name and address
              The name and address of the person your complaint is about
              The address of the house or apartment of the complaint
              The date when this incident occurred
              A short description of what happened
              For residents of California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada,
              the complaints can be sent to:
                     San Francisco Regional Office of FHEO
                     U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
                     600 Harrison Street, 3rd Floor
                     San Francisco, California 94107-1387
                     (415) 489-6524
                     1-800-347-3739
                     TTY (415) 436-6594

Information regarding filing a housing discrimination complaint under State of California laws can be accessed through the Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s
website at:
http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Complaints/fileComplaint.aspx

If you believe you have been unlawfully discriminated against in the sale, rental, or financing of housing, you should contact the Department’s Housing Unit at
   1-800-233-3212 (within California),
   1-520-622-2945 (outside California), or
   TTY 1-800-700-2320.

All housing interviews are usually conducted by telephone and the complaint process is summarized at: http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Complaints/housFlowChart.aspx

   •   Housing Pre-Complaint Questionnaire
   •   http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Publications/PublicationDocs/DFEH-700-01.pdf

   •   Cuestionario de Pre-Queja - Vivienda
   •   http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Publications/PublicationDocs/DFEH-700-01s.pdf

   •   Fair Housing Fact Sheet
        http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Publications/PublicationDocs/DFEH-FS06-2003.pdf

   •   Complaint Process
        http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Complaints/hCompProc.aspx

   •   Housing Complaint Flow Chart
        http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/DFEH/Complaints/housFlowChart.aspx

Possible Remedies
Victims of discrimination may be compensated in several ways. They may be able to get the housing they wanted or similar housing may be made available. In some cases, a cash payment can be made to reimburse for expenses caused by having to find other housing and for damages such as pain and distress.

If you win a federal civil court lawsuit, the law may also allow you to receive punitive damages.

Those found guilty of discrimination may be assigned penalties and given direction on how to change their way of doing business.

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