Fair Housing phrase guide / State / local classes
Why “low income people” gets a Fair Housing caution in listings
Caution Flagged as a caution, because it often reads as a preference for, or against, a group of people.
Why
"Low income" is on LIBOR's prohibited list. Income-based descriptions of people can be a proxy for protected classes and for source of income.
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
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.
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.
Sources
Related phrases
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-low-income, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.