Is “no section 8” a Fair Housing violation in a listing?

Why

Source of income isn't a federal class, but many states and cities protect it (New York does, per LIBOR). "Section 8, no" and "public assistance, no" are on the LIBOR avoid list. "Section 8 accepted" is on the CRMLS acceptable list.

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

Avoid means an explicit preference or limitation, or a phrase on the avoid side of the cited word lists. This is the risk end of the scale, not a style choice.

Check your own wording

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1 phrase to look at

• Avoid “no section 8”

  Source of income isn't a federal class, but many states and cities protect it (New York does, per LIBOR). "Section 8, no" and "public assistance, no" are on the LIBOR avoid list. "Section 8 accepted" is on the CRMLS acceptable list.

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

• pay stubs required Caution
• 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-source-income, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.