Is “spanish style” OK in a real estate listing?

Why

Architecture and material descriptions (Spanish-style, French doors, Italian marble) describe the property, not people. HUD's 1995 memo says facially neutral descriptions don't create liability.

What the tag means

OK means a cited source treats it as acceptable. Any alternative shown is a house-style preference some offices or MLSs ask for, not a legal requirement.

Check your own wording

Paste a sentence or your whole listing. It runs ListingLint's real rule engine in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. spanish style

No Fair Housing flags in this text. That's a word check, not a legal review.

Allowed terms we recognized

• OK “spanish style”

  Architecture and material descriptions (Spanish-style, French doors, Italian marble) describe the property, not people. HUD's 1995 memo says facially neutral descriptions don't create liability.

A word check, not a legal review. Open the full checker for fixes, the fact lock and the MLS character count.

What the law covers here

National origin is a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act. The lists flag words that describe the people who live somewhere by ancestry, birthplace or language. A building's architectural style, or a restaurant's cuisine, is a different thing, and the rules here treat those separately.

• Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c)

Sources

• HUD "Achtenberg memo": Guidance Regarding Advertisements Under §804(c), Jan. 9, 1995

About the 1995 HUD memo

HUD no longer posts the 1995 memo on its website. Oregon REALTORS reported in April 2026 that HUD removed it without notice, and HUD withdrew its April 2024 digital-advertising guidance in September 2025. The Fair Housing Act and HUD's advertising regulation (24 CFR § 100.75) didn't change. Boards and MLS word lists still lean on the memo, which is why it's still cited here, as history and as the clearest explanation of how ads are read.

• Oregon REALTORS: Fair housing compliance after the guidance reset (Apr. 17, 2026)
• LeadingAge: HUD withdraws fair housing guidance documents (Sept. 17, 2025 memo)

Related phrases

• asian neighborhoods Avoid
• latinos Caution
• oriental design Caution
• english only Avoid
• citizens only Avoid
• foreigners Caution
• chinatown OK
• all-american neighborhood Caution

All national origin phrases on one page · The 12-check listing checklist

Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city, with some protecting more classes than federal law does. If you're unsure about a listing, ask your broker or a fair housing attorney. Rule ok-style-origin, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.