Can you say “church” in an MLS listing? It depends

Why

Context matters. Describing the property itself (a converted church loft) or a place name (Temple Terrace) is fine under HUD's memo. Using a house of worship as a selling point is what the word lists warn against.

Safer wording

There's no one-click rewrite for this one. Describe the property, not the people, and rewrite this part by hand.

What the tag means

Depends means it's fine or not depending on how it's used. Read the reason, then decide for your sentence.

What ListingLint matches

This rule is tested against its own examples on every change. It catches church, and also: Steps from Temple Beth El. It deliberately does not fire on: Corner lot on Church Street, Temple Terrace Highway, Steps from Temple University.

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. church

1 phrase to look at

• Depends “church”

  Context matters. Describing the property itself (a converted church loft) or a place name (Temple Terrace) is fine under HUD's memo. Using a house of worship as a selling point is what the word lists warn against.

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

Religion is a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act. The usual problem is an ad that suggests who should live somewhere because of faith, such as naming a congregation as the reason to buy. A neutral place name with a religious word in it, like a street name, is treated differently in HUD's 1995 guidance.

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

Sources

• HUD "Achtenberg memo": Guidance Regarding Advertisements Under §804(c), Jan. 9, 1995
• Long Island Board of REALTORS®: Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase Guidelines (Mar. 2025)
• Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase List (New York Press Assn.; source: Oklahoma Press Assn.)

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

• christian neighborhood Avoid
• walking distance to church Caution
• christian Caution
• parish Minor
• ✡ Caution
• god fearing Caution
• with chapel OK
• kosher kitchen OK

All religion 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 rel-worship, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.