Why “pay stubs required” gets a Fair Housing caution in listings

Why

"Employed, must be" and "Paystub required" are on the LIBOR avoid list because they can exclude people with lawful non-wage income (benefits, vouchers, child support).

Safer wording

• income requirements apply

What the tag means

Caution means the phrase is on the caution side of the cited lists, or describes people in a way that usually reads as a preference. Many agents still use some of these, but describing the property instead is the safer move.

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. pay stubs required

1 phrase to look at

• Caution “pay stubs required”

  "Employed, must be" and "Paystub required" are on the LIBOR avoid list because they can exclude people with lawful non-wage income (benefits, vouchers, child support).

  Try: income requirements apply

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

Federal law names seven classes. Many states and cities add more, such as source of income or marital status, and some add military status or criminal history. A phrase that's fine under federal law can still break a local ordinance, so check the rules where the property is.

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

Sources

• 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.)
• CRMLS Fair Housing Word & Phrase List (Apr. 2021)

Related phrases

• no section 8 Avoid
• verifiable income Depends
• married only Avoid
• no military Avoid
• no criminal records Caution
• no students Caution
• low income people Caution
• credit check required OK

All state / local classes 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 st-employment, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.